Watching his Life
by PetPetAngel
Summary: Yami hurts him all the time. But after three thousand years, Mahaado is still bound to his promise. He can't help Yuugi, Little Master. But is three thousand years enough for this magician's restraint to break? MahaadoYuugi
1. WhL: Hurting so Much

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Watching his Life

Written by:

PetPetAngel

Disclaimer: All characters in this story are not my own, but sole property of Kazuki Takahashi.

Warnings: Implied Abuse. 

Summary: Mahaado only wants to help, but that damned promise he made three thousand years ago will not allow him.

Notes: Yay! Rewritten chapter!

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_May it be an evening star,  
Shines down upon you ...  
May it be when darkness falls,  
Your heart will be true...  
You walk a lonely road,  
Oh! How far you are from home..._

"May it Be" - Enya

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Mahaado's POV

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I will always watch him, wondering. I will have an unsteady gaze, but I will watch. I will watch everyday, just because I can't stop. Because I need to see if he needs my help today or tomorrow... Though I can't stop it, I can help him back up on his feet. So I watch to see if he'll need me today, or tomorrow, wonder if he needed me yesterday. I also watch because I have to stop him. I have to stop Master.

I've never understood why Master does what he does to Little Master; why he hurts him so much. I don't understand why _they_ hurt him, even though he's done so much more for _them_ than they have for him. He's giving and not receiving. I wish I could do something to stop him, to stop them. I don't want it to go too far, but I have a slight feeling, a weight in the pit of my stomach that perhaps it already _has_ gone too far.

I wish I could stop Master, but I cannot. I promised to serve him forever, where ever I would see him next. In another life, in the afterlife, somehow, no matter how far apart we were, I'd serve him as I had before. That was the promise I made to him, and it is one of the few promises I regret making. I shouldn't have made that promise, I've gone and enslaved myself. But if I had not enslaved myself, there is no saying that I would've met Little Master. If I hadn't, I don't think I would've survived.

Little Master is my _true_ Master now-a-days, but he cannot act as such. He does not have the power to summon me as far as to my knowledge; it is pure luck I would suppose that Master leaves Maana and myself out. But now that I think of it, it may also be to torture us. I wouldn't put it past Master anymore to do such a thing. I almost feel bad about it. But that almost will probably turn into a maybe, and then more likely than not, of course not. Maybe it already is an 'of course not.'

Little Master is the only one other than Maana to see me as an equal. Though perhaps, now, it seems as if he views me as something more than just an equal. To Master, I am a mat, a foot-rest perhaps, but never a person. To Little Master, I am someone much greater. I am a champion, _his_ champion. Sometimes, I don't like the fact I am his champion. Because of what high regards he holds me in, he feels as if when he asks for help, I will think him as weak.

The thought seems absolutely proposterous to me now, but to Little Master's mind, it is something a kin to a fear he feels in the middle of the night - a lingering uncertainty that asks, 'Tomorrow, what will he think of you? What if he's faking it?' Sometimes, I think it is so much more than a fear. Sometimes, I think it's almost like a terror to him. The thought taunts him, makes him question himself and his friends, perhaps.

He's not egotistic as you may be thinking, of course not. He is nothing of the sort. He is but an angel on earth to some, myself included. Maana could not agree more in the slightest (such agreement is not possible), and Ailil and Kaane feel that same way. I can still remember back to when Ailil was still 'Celtic Guardian' and Kaane was still 'Magian of Black Chaos' and I was the only one with a name. But now, we are so much more than just Duel Monsters.

I can still remember back to when I first saw him off of the battle field, when he wasn't behind me and I was just catching desperate glances from the corner of my eye. I had always known what Master had looked like and sounded like, but Little Master was another story entirely. He was with a man I had later learned was named Shadii. We had seen each other as a threat, but Little Master had stopped him, no, _me_ from imprisoning all three of us.

_"We mean no harm! I would not have let him come into Yami's mind if I had thought he would try to hurt you, or your friends, or Yami! I would've let him fall into the endless pit from before!" _His mind was unguarded at the time, unprotected. I expected lies, deciet, so much like so many other minds I had seen, but there was none. There was truth and a touch of protectiveness, too. He told Shadii, _"He would never hurt me."_ Of course I had been surprised, full out shocked didn't seem too unlikely either.

_"It is true." Shadii started. "The little one here had saved me from nothing short of my impending doom." _It was Shadii's reference, calling Little Master 'little one' which gave him the title 'Little Master' among us. Sometimes even yet, he is still 'Little One' to us, but uttered only with respect, of course. To this day, I still believe that that is how we came up with 'Little Master.' At the time it was of course not 'Master' in any sort of way, for to us he was not our 'Master' yet.

Not quite yet worthy of the title.

I had raised my arms in defeat, muttered something that is far from my mind. All I know is that he had said, _"Now **that** would be unfair. And besides, I could never **punish you**, that's something that seems just about impossible. Don't you know?"_ It seemed rediculous to ask something I obviously did not know, but he continued anyway, not allowing me to answer. I would have never gotten it right anyway. _"You're **my hero.** My **champion.** I would never forgive myself if something happened to you."_

I hadn't said anything in return for a while. I suppose at the time I was wondering how someone who had never met me was practically welcoming into his heart and mind (rather literally, I might add) speaking to me as though I had known him my entire life. At the time I would've found it annoying that someone would _pretend_ to know me so well, but there was just something about him that did not let me feel angry.

I suppose the _real_ shocker was when he took my larger hand into his own, smaller, petite ones. That had possibly, _probably_ hit me the hardest out of all the surprises he had brought upon me in those last, short minutes. I wanted the moment to last longer, I could say now that I wasn't in denial about finding understanding through him. But of course it didn't. But it was rewarded. I know him now and I know him best out of everyone he does, and _doesn't_ know.

I had blushed at the time, the next shock of the bunch. Now, I don't find it so surprising if I blush in his presence. Somehow, he has a way to make you feel as though he is one of the few people in the world you can trust with your life, your heart, your soul,. But at the same time, for me, it's almost as if I'm not pure enough to know him, even though I'm still on his side. Thoughts like that make me wonder if Kaane ever thinks like that.

Sometimes I wonder how all the other Duel Monsters figured out what Master does to him, but I know he will never regret _them_ finding out. We're allowed to know, because we understand. He always says, that it's okay, that he wouldn't mind telling us about his world. Because we undestand and because we don't make fun of him like everyone else. Understanding was always a big deal with Little Master. I don't blame him, really.

I can remember when I first got my chance to really _understand_ Little Master, other than just knowing he was there and he _was_ **_my_** Little Master. At the duel with Pandora. Our meeting wasn't within the reasons of the best circumstances, unfortunately. Little Master was losing to the Realm of Darkness, not only in his duel, but also losing his _soul._ He had flickered in and out of the Realm of Darkness, much to most of our surprise. It was almost as if he were in limbo between life in death. In fact, he was.

Little Master was too weak to stay in the Realm of Shadows.

It's funny to think that then, the Shadows could've killed Little Master. But now he can spend an hour or so in the Realm, merely because his resistance has built up. But back then... I was so sure I would loose him. I saw in my mind's eye, how he struggled to breathe, and how Master paid him no mind. My Master had changed over the millennia, he lost his humanity, and the compassion he once had. He lost that after his duel with Kaiba, as well as he had lost a lot of our respect.

Little Master had completely divided our world into bitter sides, but somehow, we were always in harmony. We couldn't bring ourselves to find, and I suppose that's because we wanted him to stay happy. Even though I suppose it occured to us that he probably couldn't tell, something about Little Master made it seem as if he _could_ tell if we were in some sort of emotional turmoil. It showed on his face as he spent a few minutes each night staring at only particular cards.

Later, I learned that, indeed, Little Master _could_ tell when we were in emotional turmoil. _"I dunno,"_ he had said when I asked. _"It just feels different when I hold the card. Sometimes, when I had held certain cards, it seemed to take a moment before they would be played willingly. So, sometimes, even if it was somehow threatening to me, or my friends, I would wait until I felt that they trusted me."_ Trust was another big thing with Little Master.

But I suppose that maybe, I just over-think things. It's been a good few minutes at least, but I can't really help it. My mind wonders and then my mind wanders away from where it was wondering. It's insane, but it is my mind. As I look into the small orb in my, I suppose I could call it 'room', my eyes close so I won't have to watch. But for some reason, only seconds later, they re-open. I don't want to watch, but I do. Sometimes, when I watch, I'm not _actually_ watching. I'm thinking.

Pandora did not play with good purposes. At least, that was what I had felt when Master dueled him. Later, I learned that Little Master felt bad for Pandora, in a way that only _he_ could. He said that it was almost exactly like when he had dueled for his grandfather. Pandora had merely thought that he really _could_ get his love back if he helped Marik. _"His intentions were not evil, it was just how he played the cards out."_

That duel was always a big thing for Little Master. It was painful and one of the best days of his life, as he's said. He met us, but it was one of those days where he felt that he had lost not only a bit of Master, but also a part of himself. After that duel, I found Little Master in his soul room, extremely upset, crying. At the time it hadn't made much sense, but after Little Master explained to me the 'What If's and such, I understood. The 'what if's were along the lines of, 'What if we hadn't won?' 'What if I had lost you?' 'What if Yami didn't play that card?' They were a painful series of questions that Little Master didn't like to face.

It's events like that that influence us. After that event in particular, he and I became closer. In a sort of irony, he became closer to me as he drifted away from Master. He and Maana also grew closer, and still are. Though Little Master rather speak to me, he would never pass up a chance to interact with Maana, something that positively enthralls her. It's the awkward sense that from bad there _can_ be good. 

It's hard to watch such bad things happen to such a pure and innocent soul. Every Duel Monster knows that, because they, too, have seen what Master does to Little Master. And it wrenches their hearts. Even Monsters like Kaane show sympathy for the lost boy. We all fear how far gone he will go because of Master, and we're all afraid that one day, he'll fall too deep into the pit of despair and we won't be able to pull him out. It is a resemblance a kin to our own sort of nightmare. And what a nightmare it is.

But almost everytime we see him, he relinquishes this worry. He is proof that looks mean nothing. His soul is one of the strongest that I have ever seen in all my lifetime, and Maana, Ailil, and Kaane all agree. How he smiles each time he sees us is the living proof that he has overcome Master, that he has beaten Master, and that Master has not yet won. It is a wonderful thing to see Little Master smile. It is like the warmth to our cold hearts. Perhaps just that.

Sometimes, we worry because of Little Master's status. He had gone from a bullied loner, to a boy with many friends, back to where he started. He has not shown us the scars such changes have left on his heart, so we worry. To relinquish this worry on our own, we have taken place of his 'friends.' We are all his best friends, even us who never speak to him. It is a silent vow to ourselves. We never intend to leave him.

In disruption from my safe haven of thoughts, I hear a dull, echoing, fading 'thud' somewhere near me, a sure sign that, finally, Master is done with his 'fun.' From my room I teleport to the heiroglyphic columns where he always sees me, and out of the corner of my eye, I recognize his form. The scowl is difficult to remain out of my expression (though perhaps he has enough humanity to tell that I am upset? Rather unlikely, I think). His own expression matches the one I so secretly wish I could wear, but I resume my pretend reading, squashing what I suppose could be called jealousy.

"Don't you ever get bored of reading those!" He is far too close to my side for my liking, but I decline my head, straining to keep the stiffness out of my neck as I do so. I don't really remember what the columns are about, they had lost my interest ages ago. But I continue 'reading' nonetheless because it's the only way I can focus on something other than Little Master's pain or rather, causing pain to Master. Perhaps both.

I do not ask how his day was, but he tells me anyway, supposedly not noticing my grinding teeth. Or at least I hope he doesn't notice. "Today was okay, I suppose. I think I'm mad at Anzu, but it's not as if she notices anything anymore," a wry chuckle is all I hear for a moment until he continues, "Hikari was fun, I suppose. I was so close to regaining the other half of my soul as well..." He does not continue, thankfully, but my mind is reeling on the fact that he still _dares_ to call Little Master 'Hikari.' He is deserving of the name, but Master is certainly not worthy of the priveledge.

"Is everything okay, Mahaado?" I feel some sort of emotion that I suppose could be accounted for as rage, but I am uncertain whether it is because Master had just used my birth name (for the first time in ages, I might add), as if there was anything personal left in our 'friendship' or rather I am still feeling the after-effects of my anger from hearing Master call Little Master 'Hikari.' Again, I suppose it could be both, but it does not make me feel any better.

Before I have the chance to answer, Maana's voice cuts through the thickening tension. "Master?" I feel thankful she has come, because I'm not sure I can continue my conversation with Master without needing to spar with Kaane. Sparring with Kaane (and sometimes Ailil as well) is one of the few ways I can 'let off some steam' as Little Master might say. I remember when I told him how I spar with each of them, with a slight worry that he would either not approve or rather, be afraid of how I release my anger. But he was not, much to my relief.

I suppose at the time I had thought that maybe, just maybe, Little Master might think that I would release my anger on _him_, just as Master did. It had seemed as if he had read my mind as he said, _"That's perfectly okay, Mahaado. We all deal with our anger in different ways. It's perfectly normal for you to do it that way. A lot of people I know do it that way."_ I had flinched at the thought of who 'a lot of people I know' could mean to be. _"I know you would never hurt me. Even if you did... I don't think I could bring myself to mind."_

I had never had anyone ever say that to me. I was shocked clear into silence, and we just sat together after that.

"WHAT!" Master seems far worse than infuriated that Maana had interrupted our conversation, and I see the slight fear in her eyes. That fear in her eyes makes me feel as if tears are going to come to my own, and I look to the groudnd as if to stop Master from noticing. Of course, it eventually occurs to me after a few seconds that he can probably feel it anyway, the bitterness I feel as well as the slight sense of sorrow. I can't bring myself to mind, because the thought means little to nothing to me because I am still feeling Maana's fear.

There is a flinch in her voice I am sure she regrets as she speaks, "Master," she pauses, taking a deep breath, "Your friends need... You to help them with something." I know why that pause in her sentence exists. Because as she says that, she is not thinking of Honda, Jounouchi, Anzu, or Shizuka. She is thinking of Little Master, and how he probably needs our help right now as well. Master inquires her further with his eyes, but she shrugs unknowingly. He nods once.

"Fine. Mahaado?" I nod, again feeling that slight rage in the back of my mind, wondering if he is going to make it a habit to speak to me using my birth name. "It seems as if my vessel has reawoken. Go to him and keep the blood off of the floor." The clench my fists as I hear him call Little Master a vessel, if not for the first time. It infuriates me more than usual because it has come to my knowlege that not even Marik or Bakura refer to their own Hikaris as a vessel. Both pairs were smart and broke off from Yami as he gained popularity.

As he walks away, I clench my fists harder, feeling them leave creasant nail shapes in my palm, not really caring enough if they even began bleeding. Maana places a gentle hand on my forearm, a reminder that I cannot attack Master, no matter how strong the impulse. I can't because I promised because I was moronic and never realized that I would carry that promise on my shoulders as one of my only burdens.

"Not now, Mahaado. It is not the time, nor place. For now we must keep Little Master alive."


	2. WhL: Can it Be?

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Watching his Life

Chapter Title: Possibilities

Written by:

PetPetAngel

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, they are sole property to Kazuki Takahashi.

Warnings: Abuse, semi-Violence, some language.

Chapter Summary: Life is so much less fun when you live in the past, ne?

Notes: None.

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_Mornie utúlië (darkness has come),  
Believe and you will find your way...  
Mornie alantië (darkness has fallen),  
A promise lives within you now... _

"May it Be" - Enya

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_Recap: "Not now, Mahaado. It is not the time, nor place. For now we must keep Little Master alive." _

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Mahaado's POV

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I do not want to know what is on the other side of that door, but I exit Master's soulroom with Maana close behind me, and then face Little Master's door. Though we are both outside of it, I know that Maana can feel the exact same radiating pain that seems to seep through the crack under the doorway. I turn the knob slowly, as if in a horror movie, following the script, and I know Maana is tense behind me. As I open the door, I barely notice Maana nearly hiding behind me, and I shut my eyes quickly at what I see.

The prone, bloody and bruised form on the floor seems far too bloody and bruised to be Little Master, but I know, under the red, black and blue, his fair, milky skin is laying. I feel my anger grow the longer I stare, but that anger dissapates the second my eyes meet his half lidded ones. Bright from tears (most likely from his pain), I feel as if I could crumble to the floor any second in a heap that I would never get up from.

Maana peeks from behind my back, and I feel her lurch against me. For a second, I almost wonder whether it's her or her stomach, but a moment later I feel her pooled at my feet where I had just thought I would end up. I can practically feel Maana's eyes meet Little Master, and I hear her sniffling behind me, trying to stay strong for all of us. I, of course, appreciate the effort and turn around to offer her my hand, but she shakes her head no and I nod.

I move forward to meet Little Master, kneeling on the floor before him, mumuring sweet nothings that I hope help settle his soul. He does not tense as I lift him up, much to my surprise, and he leans into me as I go to sit on his bed. His soulroom still holds the stuffed animals, the pillows, the bed with enough blankets to drown in, and the array of toys on the floor. It is more comfort to us Duel Monsters - yet another assurence that he is not as lost as we fear he may be. I love Little Master's soulroom.

To myself, I think of all those times that I sneaked into his soulroom in the middle of the night, teleporting silently out of Master's soulroom to come before the door that seperated them. Sometimes, I would wake him up or he would wake up by himself, and we would talk quietly among ourselves, with the occasional visit from Ailil or Kaane, and sometimes Maana. Maana usually does not come, for I believe she considers this 'our time' and not hers. This is when we can talk about 'guy stuff' (which, turns out, isn't really all that 'guy' oriented anyway).

I rock Little Master gently in my arms, still murmuring sweet words of comfort, offering my moral support. This has been one of the worst times - one of the worst after effects yet, and it makes me tremble slightly as I wonder how much worse it could get for him. Maana comes up to me and places a light hand on my shoulder, clutching it, silently saying that I should heal him. I nod more to myself than to her, willing myself to stand. I place Little Master gently on the plush covered bed, amazed I find the space.

I place my hands on his chest, frowning as I hear him whimper lightly as a show of the pain I can imagine him feeling. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, trying to focus on the task at hand instead of my own worries. For a moment, I can't help but ponder why and think, dear Ra. Of all the nightmares that Little Master has endured throughout his short life, it seems surely this one in the most nightmarish. The thought is unsettling, so I force it away.

A light spreads from my hands and I see him smile at the familiar warmth that the healing spell I use brings to him. His smile is shortlived, much to my dismay, and his brows furrow for another short moment. I have to focus harder than usual, look deeping almost to find each cut and bruise, and a few minutes later, by the time I'm done, I'm still not certain if I have healed them all. As I finish, my hands drop momentarily to my sides, and I watch with curious eyes as Little Master reaches an arm out. Only seconds later and centimeters from my face, he pulls his hand back in a violent jerk that leaves me confused as to the intent of the unneccesary motion.

I pull him close towards me to rest against my chest, a reassurance for me more than for him. It is the reassurance that he is still breathing and that I can still hear his heart beating in chest, albeit a bit too unsteady for my preference. I also wish to warm him, for the bare skin (rather, where he does not cover it unconsciously) is as cold as death on a wintery day, and the thought sends a shiver playing tunes up and down my spine.

"Sorry," he murmurs, voice soft as wind to a point I am unsure if I had even heard it at all. I frown at the thought at nod, and his voice gains an immeasurably small amount of strength as he continues to speak. "Thank you... Mahaado...?" My name is spoken in question, as if he is uncertain why I would be the one hovering over him, healing him. A slight pang of hurt strikes my heart, but I know he is still back there, red, black and blue. But I smile in minimal comfort as Maana dries her tears and sniffles. Little Master's eyes shift to Maana, and his next words send a wave of unidentified emotion through me. "Don't cry, Maana... I'm not worth it."

It is like being slapped in the face as he says that, as well as having a part of my heart being stolen from me. Apparently, Maana feels the same way as she speaks with some sort of voice that seems to be a mixture of fear and bewilderment. "Yes, you are Little Master! You are worth the world's tears and more!" The fear in Maana's voice becomes more apparent as she speaks, and her fear is well placed. It is the fear that we have felt so many times before, as if this time Master went to far and Little Master cannot escape.

He blushes brightly and looks away, hiding his face in my chest, and after a few moments the thought comes to me that perhaps he is not just hiding his embarrassment, but also listening to my heart (quite an easy task through the magically charmed armor). Without moving, he speaks again, voice still woven with a touch of fear and uncertainty, breaking my heart into little bits so jagged I don't dare to try and piece them back together. "Why?" It is but a simple, one word question. But just as when he asked all those brutal questions before, ('Why did we do that and not this?') the word seems jagged as a dagger in the hands of a tomb robber.

"Because you are an angel on earth to all of us. Those who do not agree are but blind fools who harden their hearts and shield their souls from the good in life." I mean every word with unmatched sincerety, and behind me, Maana nods (rather seriously, for her anyway) in agreement. Though Little Master's face is still hidden, I can tell for certain that he is even more embarrassed, and that certainly, his blush has deeped a few shades of scarlet. His blush raises all the way to the tips of his ears, and I can't help but smile at it.

"Thank you," he whispers to us. "But... But that's not what I meant."

He looks at each of us in turn with such fear in his eyes that I am again afraid for him, and he flinches as though if he is expecting to be slapped by me. I frown and question him with my eyes, curious to the point I'm sure it would drive me insane if I did not receive an answer as soon as possible. "I..." He struggles to continue (I can hear it in his voice) so I run my hands through his hair in hopes to calm him. He nods his gratitude, "I meant... Why does... Everyone hate me?" Again, it is nothing short of a verbal slap in the face, and I notice how his voice has hitched in his sentences. He's crying.

I immediately hugged him closer to me, feeling more than hearing his tears, noticing with the slightest hint of fear that he was in bits and pieces. For a moment, I don't know what to tell him as comfort, and even as I speak, I hesitate. Maana's hand is smoothing Little Master's hair, and the motion somehow calms myself as well as he. "No one," I begin, whispering in breathy tones into his ear, smiling at how he shivers. "Will ever hate you among us." I know that he knows exactly what I mean, and it's honesty in it's best form - truth. "Nor will you ever be alone, ever. Master is just abusing his 'power' to take advantage of the second life _you_ gave him." That _ bastard._

"Who... Who is worth my tears then?" The question startles me somewhat, almost random in it's own way, like an inane interjectory comment added in as an afterthought. I think about it for a moment, because it's hard to say if _anyone_ is worth an angel's tears. An angel does not sin - he is only hurt by those around him. He is kind to a fault and finds himself in the tightest of situations backing his friends as they would probably not do for him. I look behind me towards Maana to find that her own brows are furrowed in thought (a rare state of mind for her, for her place is bouncing off the walls) and to me, she mouths the answer I had already come up with.

"No one is worth your tears, Little One. Absolutely no one. No one deserves the tears of an angel. Those few people that are... That are worth your tears... They will never make you cry. That is only the truth." He winces a bit, surely thinking of Master and his 'friends.' I find that unfortunately, they pop into my mind unwanted as well. Sourly, I frown to the ceiling, once again thinking. No one. But... Is Maana? Ailil? Kaane? Myself? No, no, no, no, no. Of course not. The thought is a tad unsettling once again, but I merely tell myself that is it the truth and nothing more. It is fruitless to test truth.

"Then..." He started, the shadow of a question lingering in his voice, whispery once again. Whenever Little Master speaks in whispers, tone breathy, it is always important. The emotion in his voice (though hushed) is powerful and sincere (if there is such a thing as insincerety coming from Little Master). "Then... Every Duel Monster... Ailil, Kaane, you, Maana--" I take note to how he seems to be speaking directly to me, where as I'm certain that Maana and I had just moments ago shared the prospect that he was speaking to both of us, "--_everyone_ in the Shadow Realm is worth my tears. They have never made me cry, that is for certain."

I tap his nose in pure fun and he crosses his eyes, but something catches up to me until I am nose to nose with him. I vaguely take notice to Maana smiling behind me (what does she know?) as we brush noses and lock eyes. He smiles with a blush barely staining his cheeks, brushing a powdery pink hue across his facial features. Just seconds later (though it feels as if it were hours, to me) I feel him tense against me (and realize that I am still holding him to me as well), and I feel the fear radiate off of him in violent waves that would no doubtedly knock the wind out of anyone's lungs.

His hands are roughly grabbing the fabric of my robes just below my armor (lucky grab, I think), ear pressed tightly against my chest, face ready to hide if anything too scary comes our way. I have the slightest of feelings in the back of my mind that I know exactly what is going to happen, and I hug him tighter in reassurance for the both of us. "Oh no," Maana breathes behind me, closer than before. I hush her quickly, knowing that an 'oh no' from either of us would probably terrify Little Master, and I note that he has gone even more tense in my arms (a feat which I had not thought possible).

My adrenaline is the only thing that makes me stand up, Little Master still in my arms and I cradle him as if he were a child. My determination is strong because I know that this time, I _will_ defend Little Master, no matter what the cost or how big the enemy. Though I have a feeling it will be Master who comes through those doors, still, I will face him with a square gaze and cold eyes - not for my own satisfaction but for Little Master, because I care and because I _will_ through it that attack, if only just for him. Because he has won and a strike in his honor is the proof that will leave a scar on _Master_, not him.

But as the door opens, dread sinks in my stomach, and my throat constricts itself in worry and anxiety. Master looms into Little Master's soulroom, but he is not alone in his arrival. Behind him come a rug of clouds that sweep this way and that at his ankles, and a thought occurs to me. I feel the familiar sensation of becoming alive (_truly_ alive, as if I were attacked I would die)and I realize grimly that means that indeed-- "The Realm of Darkness." Little Master seems to have been reading my thoughts, but I am afraid for him. In a fluid motion I cover his mouth (making sure to leave enough of a gap between my fingers for him to breath), and despite the curiousity in his soul, he does not ask questions for which I am thankful far much more than he can imagine.

"Hello, _Little_ Yuugi." My rage boils at the thought of him calling Little Master '_Little Yuugi_' because it is obviously a mockery of our own title for him - 'Little Master.' I also know that it is intended to belitting him, to belittle his talents, to make him feel small and insignificant, and that makes me angrier than I have ever been. I want to lash out Master and tear him to shreds, Mind Crush him perhaps or do what he has done to Little Master (that sounds the most appealing yet, I decide) or... Or... "So nice to see you again. After our fun earlier today--" Little Master's shaking is now worrying me beyond belief "--and a bit of discussion, I have decided to take what is _rightfully_ mine."

I take an uncomfortable step back and clutch Little Master tighter, but he does not complain as he wraps his arms tightly around my neck. "And just what may that be!" My heart pounds loudly in my chest, and it seems as if it will echo forever, going on and on and never dying as it seems Little Master will under the strain of life that I lost to. Master is smiling in a way that scares Little Master, scars him, the way that always mean trouble for him and the silent yet deadly promise of pain and despair. Don't do this to him, my mind screams at both he and myself. You're only hurting him.

"Ahh... You of all people, Mahaado." I am certain that he has figured out that that just _peeves_ me beyond belief, and I growl in the back of my throat. Don't do this to him. "You should know, Mahaado. Mine... Ah, mine was stolen from me so long ago... I was too young to loose it." My eyes widen because I have a feeling that I know what he is referring to but it seems to nightmarish to be real but yet in the back of my mind I know that it is and that it's rightful to him no matter what pain it causes. "I lost my free will... I lost my soul and my innocence..."

He smiles another smile, "You didn't really think that these smiles were not of bad intent, did you, Little Yuugi? Of course not... But life is about masks... We've had this conversation before, haven't we? It's never quite sunk through. But now that he's holding you... Is it real yet?" Little Master clutches me harder and I realize that those fear that haunt Little Master (_--'Tomorrow, what will he think of you?'--_) are caused solely by Master, or so it seems. "Ah, it's so shameful to admit... But I suppose you could say I'm actually... _Jealous_, of my _Hikari_." He lets out a light laugh that confirms my earlier suspicion. He knows.

A strong wind blows through Little Master's mind and Ailil appears beside me, and from the corner of my eye I notice that Kaane is here as well, but Maana has disappeared from sight (she's probablly been retransported to Master's soulroom again). "You mind telling me what the hell is going on!" I offer Ailil a precarious glance, filled with confusion, and he understands (or so I hope) that I have little more idea than he what is in store for us. "Oh," he says quietly. His eyes turn concered as they fall upon Little Master.

"I don't have much more than a vague idea myself, Ailil... But I am afraid that it may mean serious danger to Little Master." Ailil nods solemnly as he keeps his eyes firmly on Master, and I glance back towards Kaane. Though an average Monster or person would not be able to tell, I can tell that the mention of Little Master in danger has him further on edge than usual by the way his eyes, almost unnoticeably, survey the room cautiously.

And suddenly, the ground beneath us disappears and I make a wild grab for Ailil as I know he cannot fly nor levitate, while Kaane, behind me, looks annoyed at the need to levitate at all. As I clutch Ailil by one arm, he looks up apologetically to me and I nod in understanding. It's not his fault. Little Master is a bit out of it, adjusting properly to his surroundings, but before he has the chance completely I hear him let out a pained cry that makes my eyes dart. Ailil and Kaane are poked by the same curiousity. But my eyes go to him in concern.

"Now _this_, is the fun part. Reliving memories is always fun... For me. And the _best_ part is that while _he suffers_ we get to watch _why_!" As Little Master lets out another cry of pain, an image slowly appears before us, and I lower Ailil and myself to the ground carefully, mindful of Little Master's sensitivity. The image before us is at first fleeting, flickering, but it solidifies and I notice Little Master's irratic breathing slowly and steadily even unnatually. _Kuso!_

It's cold, wherever we are. It's chilling, not only from the cold, but from the memory itself that radiates darkness and sadness. Two young boys (one presumably being Little Master) were in this, dark, damp and dreary place. clutching each other in a way that it was as if either of them let go, the other would be lost without that. "Please..." One of them starts, "Please, make it stop... Onegai, Nii-sama." The other boy (now most certainly Little Master) only shakes his head sorrowfully. His eyes are still closed, but I want to be able to look into them so he can see that I want him to be okay.

"They can't see you," Kaane points out.

I nod knowingly, assuming this, but I realize that, for myself, and only me, I would like to see Little Master's eyes. A scream is heard and Little Master hurriedly covers the other boy's mouth, muffling his own scream of terror. "Shhh, Kenji... It's okay... Don't worry... It's okay... Shhhh..." The boy, now labeled as Kenji, only chokes on sobs as the time passes, and I feel my heart breaking for them. Ailil next to me looks ready to crumple, eyes soft and wavering, breath hitching slight. Kaane looks to me with an evil look when I meet his gaze, but that just tells me he would rather not have me see how upset he is. "I'm sorry, Kenji... So sorry..." Soon, Little Master's hands travel to cover Kenji's ears.

As the door whips open, a friendly looking woman (who, oddly enough, resembles Kisara) and I am assuming when I label her their mother. Little Master releases Kenji, allowing him to crawl over to his mother, where Little Master joins him shortly. She grasps their hands, her own trembling in pain, fear and anger. At the top of the stairs stands a man (he's _drunk?_) who seems to intimidate them. A knot forms in my stomach as I assume that he is their father. The woman stands up weakly, pushing Little Master and Kenji behind her thin frame. The man's hand's glow black, the woman's white, as he lets out a laugh of sick merriment at her frail attempt to help them.

Beside me, Ailil's hands clench in rage, and I grit my teeth as the man attacks the room, bombarding it with energy. Little Master's mother is soon crouching on shaking legs towards the other end of the room, and I let out a yell of panic as Little Master and Kenji join her soon there-after. Little Master, on the ground, reacts in a way I was completely not expecting. His eyes glow white in fury as do his hands, but his father only laughs at him. "You wish to attack me! How hillarious!" Little Master's mother is staring in awe behind him a mixture of bewildermint and wonder on her face. Little Master grit's his teeth, an unnatural breeze blowing sharply through the room in response.

"Somehow..." Little Master states in a deadly quiet manner, "I don't find that the least bit funny. I don't appreciate your dry humor." In his glare I see Kaane written all over it, and I cast a glance back at him. As I look to his shocked eyes, I know he is impressed by Little Master's power, as am I. Ailil, though not able to determine the power amount exactly, knows that it is powerful for someone of Little Master's age, size, and physique. As the room became colder, I became uncertain that Little Master did not know how to control the power he possessed.

My uncertainty is questioned when I see a white energy orb appear in Little Master's hand. He hurdles it towards his father, who dodges with some (quite noticeable) effort, but he still laughs and cries, "Pitiful! All of you!" A black energy orb appears in his hand in a matter of seconds, and he throws it at Kenji. Several more follow it, and I release a strangled sound as Little Master _flies_ towards his brother, shielding him with his own body.

I fly to protect the both of them, willing myself solid. The multiple attacks take a quick effect on me, but I can smile because I know that I can at least help Little Master a little bit. He smiles up at me as if he has known me my whole life, and I feel that same. Little Master's father disappears from the head of the stairs, and tension flows out of the room steadily. I make a move to heal the wound that much more than grazes Little Master's stomach, but he declines his head and gestures to his mother. "Her first."

I nod begrudgingly and tell Kaane to heal Little Master, but he is far ahead of me. In my mind and heart, I feel Master's smugness. "If you think the torture's over, you are sadly mistaken."


	3. WhL: And Embrace You

-

Watching his Life

Written by:

PetPetAngel

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, they are sole property to Kazuki Takahashi.

Warnings: Uhh... Language... Um, yeah. I think that's just it. o-O;;;

Chapter Summary: Life is too much of a blast from the past.

Notes: None.

-

_I will forget my dreams...  
Nothing is what it seems...  
I will effect you,  
I will protect you,  
From all the crazy schemes..._

- "We Shout" - T.A.T.U.

-

_ Recap: I nod begrudgingly and tell Kaane to heal Little Master, but he is far ahead of me. In my mind and heart, I feel Master's smugness. "If you think the torture's over, you are sadly mistaken."_

-

Even though it's only in my mind, I glare hatefully to the ceiling as if it is all its fault. Of course it isn't, but my anger for hurting Little Master and his family is yet to subside. Beside me, I notice Little Master come beside me, smiling to himself, staring at me. I smile and turn to face him, but he just blushes and directs his gaze towards his feet. "I..." His voice is dying, soft and gentle and too old to be his own, and my eyes tremble with tears for the briefest of moments. His innocence seems so fleeting but yet it seems as if he keeps it for years to come, years that I know I would never be able to clutch onto it so desperately, but yet so strongly.

"I knew you would come," he breathes out eventually. For a second I stare at him with a mixture of wonder and confusion, but I don't ask and just smile in return. My eyes flicker away from his form to fall to the tiny window just beside the stairs, and I stare at it with distaste. I can see it haunting them, taunting them, silently playing with their minds. Little Master follows my gaze, and his own eyes sadden considerably. I feel a rush of guilt crash towards my heart, but I hold my tongue and close my eyes for a moment.

When I open them again, Little Master is staring at me with a knowing look on his face, understanding. I feel that it is unfair that a soul such as his own should have to go through with all this, but it is Fate's game and not my own - much to my semi-disappointment. I do not know what Fate has in store for him but I hope his future before he meets me in the present is a pleasant time, no heartache or heartbreak, fewer tears and less pains, both emotional and physical.

Age was a funny thing, so it seems with Little Master. No matter how young he manages to look, his eyes always betray him and his inner knowledge, his wisdom beyond his age, whether he acknowledges as such I am unsure. But in the enviornment that surrounds him, today, tomorrow, a week, a year from now, years from now, do not promise much hope. In my mind I see more pain than I'd like to and I see a staggering self-confidence and little pride in himself. Why do the 'good guys' always lose first?

My thoughts turn back towards the tiny window that I'm not sure even Kenji would be able to fit through. Again, Little Master, as if reading my mind, looks towards me and shakes his head sadly, almost in a depressed manner, for which I wouldn't blame him for. I see how he feels, and it hurts me, but not nearly as much as I know it hurts him. Just damn it all to hell. "No one fits out... Even if anyone did... We still wouldn't go. Never." I feel like questioning him but he merely gestures to his mother and I understand in a milisecond. "We're not leaving her behind... She is the reason we're alive."

"Ya know..." He starts off, catching Ailil's attention as well as Kaane's. "It's rather sad, isn't it." It's not a question in any way, shape, or form, but more so like a statement than anything else. "Ya know, being down here... Being trapped like _rats._ Why not? We're stuck down here until even _god_ doesn't know how long." He stares at the floor as Ailil watches him carefully, I note from the corner of my eye. Ailil looks near ready to cry, his eyes constantly fluttering to hide his tears behind each eyelid. It's not working too well, as far as I can tell. "What... What's it like up there?"

I hear nothing but bitterness and an underlying sadness in his voice, and I do a double-take to make sure I've heard his question correctly, wondering vaguely in the back of my mind whether or not my ears are playing tricks on me. But I realize with slight astonishment that indeed, I have heard him correctly. I open and close my mouth once, then close it when he stares at me expectantly. I meet his gaze squarely this time, and feel as though if my feet will give out from underneath me because of it. "I'm... I'm afraid I don't quite understand." He stares at me for a moment longer, then looks away with a patient --sad-- smile on his face.

"I merely mean that what is it like _outside._ Outside from _here._ What is it like, Mahaado? I don't remember. Once you come down here, you're just _stuck._ You don't get to come back up. There's a mouse-trap at _every single door_, and you can't escape it." I furrow my eyebrows and stare at the ground, stare at my feet, stare at Ailil and Kaane, just staring anywhere so I don't have to meet his gaze. In his voice is the harsh reality that people do suffer in the world, that people fall apart and it doesn't matter whether they're 'good' or 'bad.' It is the voice of Fate's dangerous and treacherous game known better as life.

I stare at my feet and resist saying anything, I resist falling to my knees and holding him close to me, just like we always did when he had a problem. I feel like holding him close and wiping away the tears that I am almost certain that will come in time, but I cannot and I resist the urge as best as I can. Still, my hand reaches out to place a hopefully comforting hand on his shoulder, and I question what I could possibly say to make everything better. Part of me tells me that I don't _have_ to say anything, I'm not obligated to make anything better, but all I manage is a soft "I'm sorry."

"Please," he starts with a wavering voice, "Don't say sorry Mahaado. It... It makes it far too real." Again, I feel as though if I have known him my entire life, because he uses my name in that fashion. Because he knows me even though he's never met me, because he can see to my soul without ever intruding. Because I'll always let him know me because I know that, after time, he will tell me everything he needs or more so wants to. I trust him and love him and in return I gain his own love and trust. The love and trust of a person can sometimes be a heaven sent, god's blessing.

Love is the slowest form of suicide, was what Kaane had once said. Perhaps it is true, perhaps not. It is the wait of self-sacrifice and the need to learn more from your lover. It's the thought that an argument could end your world, the worry that saying something too loudly could drive the one you loved away for whatever you believe in knows how long. It's exactly like the chronicle fear that Little Master suffers (--_"Mahaado...? Will you be here tomorrow?"_--) I stare quizingly towards Little Master as his brother approaches from behind him.

"Don't go back there," I hear him whisper, and I know Ailil has heard him as well from the way his ears twitch slightly. I stare down at Little Master curiously, and I notice that the strange out of place statement has even caught Kaane's attention, and we all share brief glaces towards each other. My eyes focus on the pair, and I wonder just what it may be that has Little Master's eyes glazed over as they are. "Please don't go back there, Nii-same, _please don't._" I let out a slightly startled sound of confusion as Kenji's voice begins to crack.

Little Master shakes his head and then, sluggishly, turns to look at Kenji. _'Did I do it again?'_ Kenji nods and, seeing as I had read lips, I can't help but wonder what 'it' is. I glance curiously towards Ailil and Kaane and wonder if they would have any idea what's going on. But they, again, offer me brief glances that mean nothing to me, and my eyes meet the eyes of Little Master's mother. Seeing our confusion, she speaks up for the first time. "I think you two should go to bed. Kenji, you normally do, and as a mother, Yuugi, _nothing_ you say will stop me from telling you to go to bed after your meeting with the wall."

Little Master grumbles, and I realize that despite his situation, he's almost like the Little Master I know, seventeen years old, just younger with a few less years on his name. He ushers Kenji to the corner of the room, and before going over to join him, he runs to me and hugs me, then to Ailil, and then finally to Kaane. I close my eyes and smile to myself and hear as Little Master murmurs to Kaane, "Thank you... For everything." The mage is left with wide eyes and a slightly parted mouth, and I smile as I see his eyes trail after Little Master who pulls Kenji to him and then wraps a thin blanket around the both of them.

"What in Ra's name is going on here!"

-

Ailil's POV

-

"That," I chuckle quietly, "Would just happen to be a pretty good question!" I chuckle again at Little Master's mother's embarrassed expression (that I happen to find just priceless) and stifle my chuckles as well as I can when I see her smile at me. She knows I know that she's embarrassed, even though she does happen to hide it extremely well, or so I think anyway. I smile at her encouragingly, letting her know that it's a-okay to be a bit flustered and I donn't blame her in the slightest for feeling that way.

She opens her mouth to speak, but before she ever gets the chance, Kaane is there, looming over her with glaring eyes. The confused look on her face is again priceless, but I feel bad for her as Kaane bombards her with questions in one of the fits he gets when he talks a mile a minute and makes up for all the time that he misses talking. "How does Little Master wield magic if he is not a mage? Why can't I sense his magic? Do you wield magic as well? Does Kenji as well? Why doesn't your husband's magic clash more forcefully with your own? Do you even understand anything about mages? Is Little Master magic performed without any spells, and if so, how does he, so young, know how to wield it properly? How--"

"Cut her a break, Kaane! If you let her answer some of your questions then maybe you won't be so confused." Despite the onslaught of questions that Kaane has just presented to her, Little Master's mother smiles at him and mouths to me that it's okay. I meet her gaze steady and am surprised to see that there is some worry in her eyes, and I wonder where that worry spawns from, but of course, the gentleman I am, I do not dare to ask, because I do not wish to intrude on memories or thoughts that are technically 'off limits.'

"Alright... This might take a while, so I hope you don't plan on going anywhere at the moment. My son, Yuugi, who I suppose would be the Little Master you are talking about, am I correct?" We all nod to confirm her questions, and she smiles and shakes her head for a moment before continuing. "Okay, my son _is_ a mage, to clarify. I cut off his magic with his consent because at the moment it is far too strong for him to wield on his own, which would explain why you can't sense it much. I also wield magic, but not nearly as strong as Yuugi. My husband's magic as well as my own does not clash more forcefully because we were ceremoniously bonded by magic to reduce the threat of our clashing magic so as not to harm Kenji or Yuugi. Kenji does wield magic too, but unexperienced magic that he has yet to embrace such as Yuugi or myself."

She pauses there, and I wonder how on earth she even manages to remember all the questions that Kaane asked her. She smiles bitterly and continues. "Yes, I do know a thing or two about mages and their history. It is kind of a sad one. Anubis was said to have created the first ten mages but after he went to the underworld these mages were left to fend for themselves. Luckily though, it seemed as though as if those one hundred mages were skilled in their magic, so very few died. Still, the mage blood line has thinned out considerably because less and less mages are marrying other mages and the spells are being passed down less and less as time goes on."

"Close," Mahaado says from behind me as he comes to sit next to my standing form, and soon I join him, removing my helmet now that I feel that the threat of Little Master's father has significantly decreased. "But that's not the point. What's the story behind _this_ family's magic? Do you have descendants from Egypt?" She sighed at shook her head no, obviously surprising Mahaado. "Then _really,_ how does it work?"

"When my grandfather was born, he had an awkward obsession with Ancient Egypt. In fact, his whole _life_ revolved around it. He would miss anything - weddings, funerals, whatever - if it meant he could go to Egypt. Many of these artifacts, whether by coincidence or not, included magic. I don't personally think that any of it was a coin-ky-dink." I smile at the word, remember all the times Little Master would pronounce the word that way. "Then one day, when my mother came home, he was on the bed, motionless, seemingly not breathing, unresponsive. Of course, she thought he was dead. He wasn't.

"As the paramedics came, he returned to consciousness and refused to go to the hospital. I had never seen him so angry before. So..." As she trails off, I see and think of Little Master, the first time I had seen him in a crumpled heap on the floor, surrounded in blood. I wince at the memory alone, and as I gaze at the grown woman in front of me, I see that she has an uncertainty in her eyes, a naivety, the lack of wisdom that I more or less see in Little Master. "It was a mess. My grandfather was in a semi-hysteria state, and it was only later that I realized that he had had some sort of... Enlightenment? I'm not sure of the word.

"He died, as did my mother. Then I met Tomajii, and then there was Yuugi. If Tomajii took Yuugi for the day, I would go to my father's and he would go through, well, skip around, in the spell book. It was all okay... Yuugi was such a happy child. So full of energy... But not all of that energy was _human_ energy, in fact, most of it wasn't. We learned that as a certainty in the kitchen one day. It was terrible. Tomajii didn't want to deal with the problems of having a child with magical abilities, even though we knew it was a possibility. Of course, no one knew _I_ had any magic to call my own.

"But Tomajii lived with it. But when Kenji was born, it was insanity. He became more like myself than I would've liked. He had my weaknesses but he had Yuugi's kindness. It was a mess. It was terrible. It was stupid, too, because we always had to pretend it was okay as Tomajii was getting angrier and angrier with us by the day. Even after Tomajii slapped Yuugi, the idiot inside of me hoped that it could still be okay; that Tomajii would realize that what he was doing was wrong and that he shouldn't do it anymore, but... Obviously, that didn't quite work out, now did it?" She sighs softly to herself, "My name is Sakura, by the way." She smiles sadly, more to herself than to any of us, but as she lifts her eyes, she comments, "It looks like you have to go now."

As I look down, I see my middle disappearing, fading from physical view. I whip around to face Mahaado, but before either of us (or Kaane, I suppose) could dare ask any questions, my ears twitch as I pick up Little Master's voice while practically smelling the tension in the room: "Kikoeteru? Sunoko no kotoba wa? Tsukareta, kimi no senaka ni yorisoi. Dakishimeru..." I gasp and reach for him, but I feel as if the world is spinning as I, as if in slow motion, lose balance and topple over.

-

When I open my eyes, I don't recall when I had actually ever closed them. But as I sit up and take in my surroundings, I realize that we are back within Little Master's soulroom, myself on thte floor, Mahaado but a few feet away from me and Kaane a few further behind me. As I lift my eyes to my front, I notice Master, standing at the doorway of Little Master's soulroom, holding the petite boy in his probably too strong grip. I grit my teeth but decide to wake Mahaado, jabbing him repeatedly in the stomach until he decides himself to wake up. Finally, after a minute or two of no reponse, I try the last resort, mentally screaming in his mind, _-LITTLE MASTER'S IN TROUBLE!-_

Mahaado next to me shoots up like a bullet and turns his head around so quickly I fear that he would have whiplash any moment now. He looks to me with wide eyes, and then turns to face Master (still holding Little Master like a rag doll), eyes narrowing at the sight. He gets up quickly, and I raise after him. Behind us, Kaane raises himself up, face still as passive as ever, but in his eyes I can tell he is enraged beyond belief. My hand reaches for my sword, ready to attack, but before it even reaches half way there, I double over in a pain that I know only Master could cause. "Damn you," I mumur, clutching my mid-section.

"Thank you," he replies softly, a wolfish grin on his face. He smirks smugly, seeing my slightly appalled face. "But you should know not to disrespect a Master, you know that." He walks closer, if just a little bit, but the hair on the back of my neck stands on end, bristles, and less that a second later, he stops his advances. "I have the power to kill all of you, and you know it too. But worst of all..." I take a step back until I'm almost stepping on Mahaado's feet, hoping and praying that what's worse wouldn't be so bad, but my hopes are minimal. "I can kill him."

Mahaado stiffens behind me, and I can _feel_ his rage, his unadultered rage. The only other emotion in that rage is his love for Little Master, and he growls out something even I can't quite catch, but Master understands and I hate it. "I would." The tension in the room is high, steadily growing, but none of us take any notice as it grows. All the tension in the room is growing, choking, but we don't have the heart to notice. We are all set to attack, Kaane gaining distance. Master places a strong hand on Little Master's pale throat.

"Little Master..." As I glance to Mahaado, I see in his eyes a whirlwind of emotions that I'm sure he hasn't been through in a long, long time. Love is in his eyes and it's shining as bright as day, and I realize in that second just how close they had grown over time. From the first time they met to the first time Mahaado showed Little Master our world, our sanctuary. The tiny fear that I had had that he would tell everyone else, that he would take advantage of it, even though Mahaado had the strongest certainty he would do nothing of the sort since when he loyally served Master truthfully.

Since then, in a strange way, they were both very protective of each other. Mahaado kept Little Master on the ground while Little Master kept Mahaado from falling too far down. It is a little strange to imagine, but it's truthful. In an odd sense of Yin and Yang, they balance each other. It works for them it would seem so much better than Master and Little Master. When did they go wrong? When did they end?

Again, the pain in my middle comes back full force and I drop to the ground unwillingly with a soft thud. Mahaado, concern split between myself and Little Master, kneels down and heals me, eyes securely patrolling Master's every movement. "But I much rather visit another memory," he finishes the sentence I only vaguely remember him beginning. His hand has moved from Little Master's neck, only to begin the magic to take us back in time. But hefore the spell is even half way through, Little Master jolts up and out of Master's arms, and I burrow myself into the ground as my head begins to pound.

-

I shoot up rather quickly from my place on the ground, unfamiliar for a second towards my altered surroundings. "Egypt? No way!" Could Little Master's interfering with the spell have brought us _this_ far back in time? My eyes widen as I think of Little Master, and I let out a shrill cry as I run to find Mahaado. Maybe he'd have more answers that I did. Kaane seems truly out of the picture as of the moment, but my concerns are not on him as I wonder of Little Master's well-fare. Only Ra knows where or _when_ he is!

I run a path that I barely remember in the back of my mind, wishing and hoping that it is the right one that leads to Master's throne room, where I know Mahaado is. As I run, I reach the doors and duck from the guards advances ('Monster on the loose? Please! Spare me). I open the doors quickly and dash in, with less than I second seperating myself from when I am right by Mahaado's side. "Ailil!" It was a sharp cry, but it was flooded with relief as he gave me a brief hug. "Thank goodness we ended up in the same time!"

As he holds me, he takes the opportunity to whisper softly in my ear, "Do you know where Little Master is? I haven't got a chance to look for him, and the 'Pharaoh'," he makes air quotes "has yet to stop staring at me like I've grown a third eye or a second head. It's unnerving. Not to mention with the recent events." The reminder is harsh and bitter and I work hard on keeping my self-restraint in tact. As I let out a little growl that was begging to turn into a full-fledged roar, I see Master's eyes narrow dangerously.

"Who is this 'Little Master' of which you speak of in front of me?"

"My Lord! We have found a spy!" Master's eyes flash as he faces the guards who brought the 'spy' in, and my eyes widen in horror as I take in the limp form in their hold. Little Master, slashed and cut with a few wounds is all I see, and again I feel my rage accompanied by Mahaado's own as he walks over to Little Master and takes him into his arms, myself close behind. As Mahaado cradles Little Master's again broken body close to his own, Master cries out furiously,

"**_You dare betray me!_**"

Despite the tone of his voice, Mahaado answers calmly, "No..." Eyes shining, he doesn't continue, and I can tell how happy he is. The look in his eyes is one of smoldering love, a fire that I'm not too sure will ever die, or even wither. I look in his eyes and I continue for him, smiling through my own joyous tears that prickle at the corner of my eyes.

"We just dare to have found something we should've never lost."


	4. WhL: Dream

-

Watching his Life

Dream A Little Dream of Me

Written by:

PetPetAngel

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are sole property to Kazuki Takahashi and I claim no ownership. I make no profit off of this either except from the warmth in my heart because of reviews. (wink wink nudge nudge)

Warnings: Uh, light slash in this chapter, but if you're still queasy about that prospect it doesn't have to be taken that way. (But, if you're like me, you take it that way on default).

Notes: I really like this chapter, and it's probably my favorite chapter so far. There's an appearence of someone that you probably weren't expecting. Enjoy and feedback is highly appreciated!

-

"_Everything that you feel,_

_Is everything that I feel..._

_So when we dream (we dream),_

_We shout, we shout..."_

- "We Shout" T.A.T.U.

-

Mahaado's POV

Seeing my distressed state, Master quickly decides to take this to his rooms, where we could go into further detail. It is a hard thing to explain, I thought to myself, staring intently at the far too limp body in my arms. I guess I'll just have to heal him again, just like old times. Just like old times for the last time in a long time. As I think to myself, I wonder if I can die when he dies, but a voice inside of me reminds me that I'm already dead.

I jump as I hear more than feel Ailil breathing on my neck, and he speaks quietly even though he knows (or at least I can likely assume that he knows) that Master can probably hear him anyway, no matter how much we don't want him too. "This isn't right," he says uncomfortably, "I have a bad feeling in my stomach, and I'm sure it isn't hunger. It doesn't make sense." He pauses slightly as we turn around a corner, "It's as if he's a totally different person now---"

His words are cut off abruptly as he notices Master watching him from the corner of his eyes. He gulps to himself, hopefully not too noticeably, or at least that's what I bet he's hoping. Despite the slight risk at speaking when Master can easily hear our every word, my want for Little Master to be safe overpowers it easily, but before I speak I realize something. I'd give up my safety in a heartbeat for Little Master's. I would risk everything I had--- what I _didn't_ have to protect him. Anything. I suppose I had always known it, it had never been so real before as I see danger to Little Master at every corner.

I wince to myself, but I have little time to dwell on it as I find we've arrived at Master's rooms, and they seem bigger than they ever had or from whenever I've remembered them. But still, it is a place where Little Master can rest and where he can become well again so I have no reason to complain. I allow him to continue leading and as he motions for the bed, I can only assume he means to lay Little Master in it. I gesture down to him with my head just to double-check, and I get a steady nod in return, much to my surpirise.

I set him down carefully on the bed, and I pause for a moment before I drop to my knees as I have had to do many times before, and I place my hands gently over Little Master's chest. I begin the spell but before I even get half-way through the first sentence, I feel Master's hand fall to my shoulder, and I hold back a flinch. "What are you doing Mahaado? Do you feel well?" I look behind me to him in curiousity, and then I realize that for this day and age I wouldn't normally heal people nor would I fall to my knees in front of anyone. Right. That respect thing falls somewhere in there.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine. Thank you my Pharoah for asking. I must just be a little out of it today. I'm sorry about that." He nods and yells for a woman to come in. She is small and petite, young, _too_ young perhaps, but of course I do not comment and watch as she settles herself in my previous position. Her form reminds me a bit of Little Master's own frail form. She looks him over for a moment and then asks in a voice that is as soft as Little Master's own but somehow still gruff:

"These previous scars... Do you know how he received such scars?"

Ailil and I share a nervous look between each other, until we both nod minimally, and Ailil starts, voice still unsure despite our agreement, "Let's just say that several people that he thought were friends were not as such, unfortunately. He's incredibly strong - just not physically." We both wince noticeably at that, despite our best efforts, and he sighs and continues begrudgingly, "People in general didn't have much like for him, and we couldn't do much about it, so we watched at they all abused him... Mentally, physically... Sexually Mahaado?" My eyes widen and stare at Ailil in shock.

The possibility, the _thought_ itself horrifies me beyond my comprehension. It is again one of those fears that Little Master feels in the middle of the night as the thoughts stab and protrude into his unwilling mind. But the thought of _anyone_, though I would think that it would be Little Master's father, and grimly, I think to myself that I would not put it above the man. Sexually abusing your child - the thought makes me sick. And then the thought of Master abusing Little Master sexually makes me want to vomit. I look up, not remembering when I had looked down to begin with.

I realize I have been silent for a while now, but I cannot find words to muster up an answer. A simple 'yes' or 'no' seems crude to me, as if I'm pushing him away, denying him, and that is the last thing. But oh the trauma! Mahaado chokes a Little bit. "I... Don't know. Do you think Master would do that? I wouldn't put it above his father, I really wouldn't Ailil." Seeing my pale face, the realization of his words sinks in and Ailil stumbles back a little bit and pales himself.

As I look up again (once again not remembering when I had looked down once again) and it seems as if the room has moved out of time from us. The small petite healer is now off the ground, her eyes wide, and it seems as if we were going through our own shock something else entirely has been going on. Quietly, the girl speaks again, this time with shock and a slight amount of amazement in her voice, "It's never... Ever, taken me so little energy to heal. It's as if the slightest bit of my power reinforced his own and it came back." Now that I hear her, she sounds breathless.

I think back and realize that she's right - "It never has taken me much energy to heal Little Master. I suppose it would have to do with the magic he had while he was younger--- perhaps his magic is breaking out of it's seal? Is that possible?" As I look to Master and the Healer, I am confused myself as I see that they are confused. I look to Ailil and he mouths to me 'out loud' and I resist the strong urge to hide my head in my hands. It's nightmarishly embarrassing, but I could've said worse things.

At Master's command, the Healer leaves the room quietly, though her expression shows that she's still miffed over the incident. As I return my gaze to Master, I see a look that commands me to explain. I shrug helplessly and say, "We're pretty much just as in the dark as you are." He stares at me unconvinced, but I continue to reassure him. "The magics of it were something that we learned of a few hours ago from his deceased mother. We're in a bit of a game where we're at this point that we have no idea how long we're staying or going."

Master looks more than ready to question, something that I was definately expecting, of course. But before he gets the chance, a soldier comes in in pure panic, not even bothering to knock on the door. Again, Master is ready to speak and yell most likely at soldier, but the soldier cuts him off as well and speaks of an intruder in the throne room. "Fine!" He cries out, "You," he gestures wildly to Ailil, "Take the kid to Mahaado's room if you know him so well. Mahaado, with me."

I nod, but not towards Master, but towards Ailil and Little Master. He nods back and we dart out of the room each heading our own seperate ways. A few hallways later, I am shocked and infruriated at the sight in front of me, and I know he knows it. Before me stands (_floats_, I correct) Little Master's father in all his glory, the aura around him the darkest black I have ever seen on a soul before. The only other that may have matched his was Bakura, and I'm not even sure that that has happened yet.

I feel like lunging at him, and screaming and strangling him slowly and painfully for all the years of pain he's inflicted upon Little Master. I feel like _killing_ him and it takes me all my reserves to focus _just_ on stopping myself. My heart is screaming at me to do something - hit him, hurt him, hurt him destroy him. My heart makes me want to make him suffer, to _die_ for all the pain--- all the hurt inflicted on Little Master and his family and his Little brother.

But the moment I see him, he's gone before my eyes. It's as if he were a ghost (is he?) as he disappears in a wisp of fading smoke. The anger falls back and the panic rushes in in waves mixed with confusion, and perhaps that shaken feeling that comes as an after-effect of rage, that feeling of trembling that seems as if it will never go away. Trembling, and never stopping. Almost as if you're afraid. But I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid, I think again, I am fucking pissed off and I want him to die _right now._ He doesn't deserve to live - the _bastard._

I don't see Little Master until the end of the day, and it is not on the best of terms.

-

He's hurt, and badly, when I see him next. I know it was his father that did it and my want, no, my _need_ to kill the main comes back full-force the first time I see Little Master those hours later. On the large bed that I would only assume to be mine, he looks far too small, as if the bed is going to swallow him alive. Of course I know it won't, but it seems that way. He's too small, too thin, too pale and too weak. He shouldn't be that way.

But he is. And right now, he needs me, I think. Ailil is asleep at the foot of the bed, kneeling on the ground, his position suggesting that he was observing the healing with watchful eyes, looking for the mistakes I know I've made. The first time I healed Little Master, it had been hundreds of years before I had had to use that spell before. I was always the one injured - I was the one being healed. I was not the healer then.

I sit down on the other side of him, tracing the shape of his face with my finger, cupping his cheeks that should be fuller for his body's sake. But it isn't and I wince, caressing his cheek softly and staring at his face that I find is also scarred, much to my displeasure. He breathes softly, gently despite his injuries. They didn't get all of them, I think to myself. But I am tired frnom the day and don't want to hurt him, so I figure that I'll do it tomorrow. The palace was in pandamonium all day, so I figure he'll forgive me. The question should be whether _I'll_ forgive me.

Softly, he breathes out my name. I do not stop my gentle motions, and he leans lightly into my touch. I see him open his eyes and my heart stings again at the pain in them, and my anger returns, but it is withering. I stare into his eyes and I see the pain reflected there, but I don't say anything until he does. "Mahaado?" Again it is soft and the pain lingers in his voice, and I wonder if those are tears I see in his eyes. Again, "Mahaado?" It comes to me that perhaps he can't see me - I almost ask. His slowly shut, but again he mumbles my name, with loss.

"It's alright," I start quietly. "It's alright, it's okay. Don't worry, please. Just stay calm and relax." He smiles softly, a small smile, but a smile nonetheless, but it vanishes in an instant. It vanishes too soon. "Please, don't worry." He mumurs an apology, but I'm not sure whether it's for worrying (which would make little sense but might actually make sense because it's Little Master, not Jounouchi or Honda or Anzu) or for the trouble that he _thinks_ he caused.

But I don't say anything, just sigh and share a look with Ailil. Apparently Master has given him a room (probably to both our surprise) and he leaves without a word. I pull back the blanket that I rest on top of and crawl under it, and without thinking, I wrap my arms securely around Little Master's waist. He sighs and curls around to face me, and I wince because I realize that it probably hurts him to do that. Again, I speak, but I don't know whether it's to comfort him or me, "I'm sorry Little Master, I am. This shouldn't have happened to you. You didn't deserve this. I should've protected you, I should've---"

"You couldn't have done anything Mahaado." I shoot up on my elbow to give him a look, but I realize he can't see my expression because his eyes are closed. "It was my dad, Mahaado." His voice cracks a little bit, and I don't think he'll continue, but he does. I feel as if I don't want him to continue, I'm not sure I want him too, but at the same time I know he will, and I know it's not to hurt me. "He's back- Yami brought him back. He's back and I don't know if I can handle him this time. I don't know---"

"I won't let anything happen to you," I say without thinking, but I know I mean it. I would always protect him, even if it meant dying for him. I would protect him and I know I would do it under any circumstance. "I don't care who the enemy is, I don't care who the _damned_ enemy is." I know that the harshness in my voice surprises him (and I think it surprises me too), but I continue. "No one is going to hurt you if I can help it."

I lean back down on my side and he faces away from me, and I have a feeling that he's crying quietly to himself, and I draw him to me. For a while we stay that way, him not facing me, crying to himself, _afraid_ to let me see his weaknesses. He thinks as if he cries, something that I would think that _he_ of all people would know is only human, he would see it as a weakness. When others cry, it is never a weakness, but when he cries himself, it is always a fault. I hate that about him, how crying was a weakness because I can remember the first time I stumbled upon him crying. I heard him from Master's soulroom, right at the door, when I heard him, crying softly, just as he is now.

_"Go away,"_ he whimpered when I rapped lightly on the door. _"Please... Just go away. Leave me alone."_ He whimpered again, and I opened the door to look in. At the time I had met him but that one time before, so I was still unsure of my place, unsure of what I could and couldn't do. It was back when I was still questioning whether Little Master was real, whether any of the kindness was real. He was there on his bed (that I eventually noticed grew more and more bare of the plushes that piled on it) face burrowed in his pillow. Even if he was not as mentally aware as he is now, he knew I was there, and he dried his tears because of it.

"_Why are you crying?"_ He didn't say anything as I came closer, until I finally loomed over him, and he looked up at me at the time with these wide, fearful eyes. I sat on his bed and placed a hand on his shoulder, and then all I heard him say was a gentle, soft 'I'm sorry' that I'm sure even Ailil would have trouble hearing with his great hearing. He flung himself into my arms, murmuring again and again 'I'm sorry' as if I would hurt him if he didn't apologize I would hurt him for it, as if it wasn't human.

And now he turns to me to face me, and I look in his eyes to see them filled with tears, just as I had imagined. I lift a hand and wipe his tears and he sniffs and burrows his face in my robe. I feel for him so much that I don't even mind, not that I would've minded anyway. I hold him close and hope that he'll make it through all this, and the thing I wish more than all is that I will be able to help him through this and that he'll be okay when it's all over. Now I say to him, even if it seems out of the blue, "It's okay, chibi tenshi. No one will harm a hair on your head." He smiles softly up to me, eyes drying up but still sparkling like magic, except now they're dancing.

"Thanks, Mahaado. Just... For everything."

-

Spiria's POV

Master1 has sent me out to look over our new arriver at the palace. They do not trust him, but my heart tells me that he is pure beyond us all. My heart tells me that he is suffering as well, and my heart makes me feel that a heart as pure as his should not have to suffer like he is. I watched at Master's side and the purity in the boy's heart explains how words could not why Priest Mahaado is as protective as the boy as he is. The purity that my heart senses in the boy would probably drive me to protect him as well.

My curiousity is spouted at why Mahaado would call such a poor looking boy 'Little Master', though I have learned in the past that it is not right to judge by a person's appearences. I float back aways from where Mahaado's rooms lead out to his balcony, and I am surprised to see this 'Little Master' at the balcony, staring up to the heavens as if he were trying to talk to the Holy Gods. I can feel his discontent and I wish that I could go closer, but he speaks quietly and all I do is listen.

"I don't want to put Mahaado through this, I really don't. I love Mahaado and I'm just a burden to him." He says it so factually that my heart goes out to him, and I come closer because I have that urge to hold him, the kind of urge I have only towards a few others. "I love Mahaado but I'm just a burden, I know I am, I don't want to do this... I want to leave him be so that-- that he can stay safe... So that he---" even though there is a great distance between us, I see his eyes sparkle with what I would assume to be tears. I feel for him but a voice interupts me.

"What are you doing here, Spiria?" I turn to face the semi-familiar voice and am only slightly surprised to see Ailil there. She doesn't respond though she knows it may not be best in her future encounters with him. "Spiria? Answer!" I wince a little bit at the gruffness in his voice, but I keep my silence. His eyes grow dark with what I think be rage, but I am a little doubtful as I see his eyes sweep lightly over to Mahaado's rooms. **_"What did you do?"_** I shake my head at him as if I don't know, but he dashes forward and the second after I stop him I realize it's a bad idea. He looks at me venomously, eyes flashing.

"They... They don't trust him," I start. "They're just confused, Ailil," I try to reason with him. "They're afraid, especially after today. Nothing like that has ever happened before, Ailil. We had never seen something so evil, and it was gone so fast! He made little appearences all around and then he stopped at _Mahaado's_ room, where obviously Mahaado wasn't and I saw you at Mahaado's side in the throne room and then looking around all day for the same person - that one that showed up and disappeared!

"And the only person who was hurt was _that boy._ That's not normal Ailil! If he is the only reason that a person as powerful as that is interesting in coming to the palace, then we're going to have to hand him over, for the wellfare of our Pharaoh and our people. What happened today was pure panic, because people don't just show up and then disappear. This isn't your choice." Ailil stands at the balcony next to me, and I realze now that I'm sitting on it's railing. I can't read the expression on Ailil's face, but that may be just because I can't _see_ his face. Staring at the ground, I do not expect what comes next out of his mouth.

His voice is bitter as he speaks, "You don't get it, do you?" It is a rhetorical question, and he continues, obviously not expecting an answer. "You just don't get it! It isn't _your_ choice over what you do with Little Master! He is in charge of myself and Mahaado, but we will not stand by and watch as you throw hiim out and I don't _care_ what it does to the Pharaoh or to the kingdom, you hear? I _don't care_ right now. You will have nothing to do with Little Master's company because he _will_ be staying here." I don't answer, but rather turn back to face the boy's room.

"He has a name, you know." Ailil says it softly, "We just don't call him by it. He doesn't like it when we call him 'Little Master' but it's really just a simple term of respect. He doesn't like it - he doesn't see where he earned that respect. But he's done thousands of things, saved lives, inspired. Mahaado's never been happier in his life, there's just some light around him. I know you can feel his purity, and life has just cheated him at every corner. His name is Yuugi--- Little Master." It could be taken as he's saying that they are the same person, but it sounds more as if he's correcting himself, and it surprises me.

May the gods protect you. "Yuugi."

-

Mahaado's POV

I open my eyes and feel what's not cold, but the cold that comes from the missing prescence of a warm body, but I don't open my eyes because sleep still lingers and my eyelids feel heavy. But when I realize that it's _Little Master_ that's not by my side, my eyes snap open, my spirit alive and worried, and my heart speeds up. But my eyes quickly fall on his form and my heart calms down, flutters a bit, but the worry is still there. I stare at him and I watch as he rests his head against his arms, and I see his shoulders shake a little bit and a bit of dread builds up in my stomach.

I get up quietly and sit at the end of the bed and watch Little Master carefully, but soon thereafter I get up and stand next to him, and it's as if he's so out of it that he jumps when he finally notices me. He looks at me with shock and he wipes his tears just as he had done the first time I saw him cry, but I catch his wrists mid-air. He stares at me in shock and I release his wrists only to wipe away the stubborn tears that he refuses to stop crying. Again, just as earlier, he leans into my touch but blushes this time, because he's enough with me that he remembers that it can be a little embarrassing.

"You shouldn't be up," I murmur to him. He nods and blushes brightly, but he smiles up at me with that small smile that I love. The look in his eyes makes me instantly forget that I was almost annoyed at how he's out after being brutally attacked and sending the whole palace to chaos. Kaane would be proud. The look in his eyes is like the dreary look of a child not ready to get up, begging for five more minutes. I agree only because it's nice out and the light Egyptian breeze that you would never experience during the day is refreshing.

The silence sticks for a while, but luckily it is not an uncomfortable silence. Until finally, he asks a question that reminds me so much of the child in him that is still trapped back in the basement in that cold home. "What do you dream of, Mahaado?" I don't know what to say for a few moments and then the answer comes to me in a vision like thing, the perfect image placed right into my head as if god sent them for me. And then the answer seems obvious - as if I should've known it the second the question came out of Little Master's mouth.

"I dream of the world of Duel Monsters, I suppose. I dream of life and what's happened, what happening, and what may happen. Sometimes I have visions, you know, what may happen. But of all the things I dream about, the thing I dream about most is... Well, you. I dream about you all the time. If you're okay or if you need me, or if you needed me yesterday or if you secretly don't want me here and if there will be a day that... That you don't need me anymore. I love dreaming about you, but sometimes when I think about those times when you may not need me, it hurts..."

I trail off a little bit but I feel warm arms around my waist and my eyes widen as I look at Little Master incredulously. But his arms only tighten at my surprised expression and he speaks quietly in hushed tones, "Don't ever think like that Mahaado. I will always need you - you always have to be right here by my side. I always need you because I love you. I love you, Mahaado." I know he means it in a brotherly way, and for some little reason that I push all the way back of my mind, it disappoints me. But he continues, "I love you Mahaado. Please, don't leave me, please. Don't leave me."

And I know in my heart I never will. "Never."

-


	5. WhL: Fading Away

-

Watching his Life

Fading Away

Written by:

PetPetAngel

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters they are sole property of Kazuki Takahashi.

Chapter Summary: Scars fade, people fade, but memories do not fade...

Notes: I did part of this at my grandmother's (over break) and then I brought it here. Then my computer crashed so I got an XP. But I lost all of my chapters! Of course, chapter one-four weren't a problem, but I had spent a lot of time on this here chapter and to think I lost it... It was just like happened to chapter four, when I first left this story. My computer crashed and I lost my inspiration/didn't have the heart to rewrite the chapter. I was afraid of that for this chapter, but we pulled through I guess. And the only reason it took forever, was because I had fifty billion things to work on for school, and I still have three more.

But I just said, 'Ya know what? Screw it. They've waited long enough.' Next I have to update 'Your Shadow's Admirer' and then I have a newer oneshot I need to finish and _then_ I am going to start rewriting 'Dear Journal' from nearly twenty five fics ago... Poor 'Dear Journal'... u-u This chapter is a little bit shorter than the rest, but I'm busy and under semi-stress, which is totally anti-Petal and stuff. And I've become Confused!Petal which sucks too. -.-;;

-

_I wanna be there when you call,  
I wanna catch you when you fall...  
I wanna be the one you need,  
I wanna be the one you breathe..._

- "Seether" - "Fade Away"

-

Mahaado's POV

As I wake up, I feel that familiar warmth next to me and I hold it closer, feeling as if I am only semi-awake, conscious, but unwilling to move. I smile to myself and pull the warmth to me and even as I realize that the warmth is not a blanket, nor a pillow, but more accurately, Little Master, but I cannot bring myself to mind much as he snuggles into my chest. The warm feeling is not only physical, but I feel it in my heart as well, and it seems as if my smile can only widen.

I'm not sure how long I lay there, perhaps minutes, perhaps hours, but by the time I open my eyes that still feel as heavy as lead, the deep sleep that seems to have lasted only a few hours actually makes me feel as though I had slept days. I get up and lean on my elbow, then swipe at my eyes to wipe the sleep from them. Beside me, Little Master sleeps peacefully, still attached to my waist. I smile fondly at the site, and wish only that this moment could last a little longer.

But I know it cannot. I detach his arms gently from my waist, and slowly slip my feet from under the thin blanket, my body protesting heavily to the movement. Still, I get out of bed fully and stretch my arms and legs, letting out a contented sigh when I hear my back crack. For a moment I just stand there, flexing my hands and thinking of how lucky I am to know the people I do, and at that I look back towards my bed to the small form that still looks far too small under the thin sheets.

I smile again to myself and, to my slight surprise, Ailil comes into the room smiling himself. I smile at him and he gestures to the bed with a slightly concerned look, and in a bit of an out of character performance for myself, I shrug good-naturedly. "I don't really know." He smiles and shrugs again, and it seems for just a second that all the chaos of yesterday melts away as we both watch Little Master and his deep breathing, his face calm. "So---"

"Spiria was spying on you two last night," Ailil starts, staring worriedly at Little Master. I cock an eyebrow at him, and getting the hint, he explains readily. "I've been thinking about it a lot. I found her listening to Little Master. Do you know he got out of bed last night to go on your balcony?" I nod my head yes, sure that I will never forget that conversation in my life. "Well, she says that they don't trust him. They say that... If his father comes again..." He takes a deep breath, "They might just get rid of him."

I stare at him in wonder, confusion, and a touch of hurt: "Get... Get _rid_ of him? As in... _Throw him out?_ I wouldn't allow it! _We_ wouldn't allow it! How could they not trust him!" I put a hand to my chin and stare at Ailil who has taken his place on the bed, "I mean really? He's just an innocent victim who's been hurt far too many times! Life has just..." Ailil nods sadly and runs a hand through Little Master's hair, "That's not right!"

"I guess that's just life," Ailil comments softly, staring at Little Master again. For a moment there's silence, and then Ailil says quietly, a slice of panic in his voice, "What the---" I walk over to him and peer curiously at Little Master, them realize the severity in Ailil's words as he places his ear against Little Master's chest, listening intently. "It's just barely beating," he says horrified. As he continues to listen to Little Master's heart, I practically jump over him to check his pulse.

"Little Master! _Little Master!_" There is no response, and I shake his shoulders. In response, there is but a tiny little sigh that I'm not sure is even there. I continue to shake him for a moment until I'm sure his arms would hurt if he were awake, and Ailil walks away for a moment, leaning against the wall. Soon after though, he's on the ground with his knees drawn up to his chest, chin resting against them. I look at him for the briefest of and I'm only the tiniest bit surprised when I see tears in his eyes.

As I stare down at Little Master I feel tears at the corners of my mouth, and then I feel them begin to run down my cheeks before I know it. But that feeling of dread doesn't let me cry, it only lets me stare at his still form for what feels like hours but are probably only minutes, and then when Master comes in, I feel like I could kill him but of course I don't. Master comments softly, "Who died?"

No one says anything and Master comes up to me and places a hand on my shoulder. I resist the urge to shrug the shoulder off. I speak up, "Something... Something's wrong with Little Master." Master cocks an eyebrow at me, shrugs, and his eyes travel to Ailil's form on the ground. He gives me a look that transliterates to 'Explain' and I do just that as best as I can. "I woke up, he came in, we talked for a minute, and then he noticed that Little Master's heartbeat seems unsteady. I suppose it could be from all those cuts from yesterday."

Master 'hmmm's thoughfully and rubs his chin, thinking. "So he's like... Dead?" Ailil chokes a little bit on the ground and I close my eyes, turning away from Master's expectant look. He walks over to Little Master and I resist the impulse to stop him from approaching him, but he merely feels Little Master's forehead. "Feels cold." Then his hand travels to Little Master's hand, "Hmmm..." And as he looks back at me, I see a malevolent glint come to his eyes. "Perfect," he whispers.

I feel like lunging at him as I have felt many times before, but again, I do not. "Come, Mahaado. You," he gestures to Ailil. "You too." I forcefully move my feet to go after him, but Ailil doesn't move from the ground. "Come on!" Master's patience seems to be thinning, but again, Ailil doesn't move an inch. He lifts his head from where he was watching Little Master in bed, and I see tears as they stream down his cheeks. For a moment I'm confused, but the misery in his eyes makes me feel like something terrible has happened,

"He's gone."

I choke for a second and offer him a hand, and he takes it and wipes away his tears. I wonder what he means when he says that 'He's gone' and I can only pray that it doesn't mean anything that I think it means. I stare back behind me to Little Master as we walk out of my rooms, and when Ailil jolts for a second I have to wonder if he heard something that I missed. And as I walk out, I have to wonder that next time I will see Little Master and can only hope that it isn't the end of the day.

-

Yuugi's POV

I creak my eyes open carefully and find myself in a strange enviornment, enshrouded in white, and for a moment I wonder if I've died. But as I turn to my side, I see my grandfather there and I nearly die of a heartattack of my own. I see the tears on his cheeks and I hear him murmuring to himself, "Oh thank god! Oh Yuugi, my dear boy, thank goodness you're okay!" He wipes at his tears as I stare at him curiously, the confusion within me welling up in the billion questions I want to ask.

"What do you mean? Grandpa, you're dead! I mean, you're supposed to be dead-- I mean, I don't you dead but you died! I was _there_ when you died! You had a heart-attack! Where's Yami? Where's Jounouchi? I told you about Mahaado, too, and Ailil and Kaane, where's they? Am I okay? Grandpa, what's the date? Am I dead? Why are you here if I'm not dead? Grandpa---" but he only shakes his head and places his hands on top of mine, and I then take the courtesy to notice the intravenous tube in my arm.

"Thank goodness you're okay, Yuugi... Yuugi, you've been in a coma for a year! Don't you remember? No, wait, that's a dumb question, Of course you don't remember! It's been a whole _year_ Yuugi and you had me worried sick! You were in a coma for so long and then suddenly earlier this morning, you just started getting better and better and better and now you're okay and that's _great_---!"

"But what about Mahaado, Ailil and Kaane?" Grandpa gives me a confused look and then I'm confused as I hold my head in my hands."Where are they? Oh, wait, lemme go see if I can find them---" I focus on going to my soulroom, knowing that I had explained that to Grandpa too, but I found as I try to focus on it, all I get is a headache. And then as I look down to my chest I see no Sennen Puzzle, and as I look to the bedside table, I see no Sennen Puzzle. "Grandpa! Where's the Sennen Puzzle!"

"How do you know about the Millenium Puzzle? It was found while you were in a coma, now it's in an exhibit in the Domino Musuem, it has been for a few months now. Oh Yuugi you don't know how happy I am that you're okay!" With that, grandpa throws his arms around me and holds me tight, and I can only wonder in confusion.

-

Two Days Later

-

"If there's anything wrong at _all_, you just tell me and take Yuugi by, and we'll make sure that everything's okay. I hate to say that you may be getting a few calls because you realize that your grandson has made this phenomenal recovery that defies all sciences, so you might have some people calling to use your grandson as a test-study. I hate to say. But you just tell those people that you're not interested, 'kay?" The doctor smiles cheerily as I just stare around the waiting room, seeing all the people that seem almost unreal to me.

I wish I remembered how I got into this hospital, I think to myself. It isn't good enough that grandpa told me I got his by a car, it's not good enough. Through my thoughts I hear the word 'therapist' more than once and I think that maybe someone may get me to remember sometime. I stare around some more as the doctor and my grandfather talk, and for a minute I think that they may think I've gone just a little bit daffy, crazy, loony, kooky, however you like to say it.

Well this sucks, I think as Grandpa takes my hand and leads me to the car. I get in calmly but realize that I don't know if grandpa still has his liscense. I decide that I'm not going to think about it and sit in the car, and as he starts up the car I realize (doing a lot of that recently) that it's probably going to be a very quiet ride with a lot of attempts to start a conversation and a lot of trailing offs and a lot of awkward pauses and silences. I wince because they all sound like they're going to be semi-painful and awkward for me especially.

I close my eyes as I rest my head against the window and I think about how awkward I know the next few days are going to be. As I think to myself I think that it seems very awkward (I seem to be using that word a lot these days) that I have 'imagined' all these people up. Jounouchi who _was_ my friend at some point in time is now a full-time bully just as he always was, Anzu is still my friend but I'm not sure I'll have the heart to talk to her, Honda is ignoring me or beating me up too, and Ryou is just... Ryou with an semi-evil Yami.

Grandpa told me yesterday that I'd be going to a lot of therapists, or at least I think he did, but it's still going to be strange to have to have everyone convince me that I'm crazy and in my stupor I made up Mahaado, Ailil, Kaane, and even Yami. That I 'made up' Maana or Spiria or Ishizu and all her jazz with the Sennen items. And then there's Shadii and Bobasa and then Karim, Seth, and the rest of them... It seems so strange that I made them all up.

But I suppose that's just because right now I can see Mahaado, Ailil, and Kaane in my head as clear as day. I can see Ailil shaggy blonde hair and his dark green, almost olive-like eyes. I can see Kaane's eyes as well, dark and piercing, only cruel to those who would dare to hurt or threaten the people he cares about. I can see his hair, long and unruly under that insane helmet, and remember how strange I thought it was at first for a person to have blue skin, like some sort of warped alien.

But most of all I can remember Mahaado. I can remember most about him. Not only can I see his hair, a sort of lilac, a dark lilac, but lilac the same, but I can feel it as well. Soft, smooth, silky, almost in an unnatural sort of way it was so much so. His eyes as well, a mixture of blue and amethyst, sometimes hard and cold as ice and other times it seems as smooth as velvet. I can remember his exact skin shade and his complextion, even his past with the Sennen Ring is as clear as it gets.

I know they're real, I know I didn't make them up. I know that because no one has ever seemed as real as they do right now. In my heart I can feel that they are real and that they are true, real people, flesh and blood just as I am. Maybe they know how to wield magic or a sword, perhaps they are great in combat, but they are still human and I know without a doubt that they are real.

But that worries me because I know that, if I tell my story as I know it, not only are people going to think that I'm insane, but they will also try to disprove everything I say. They will try to make me feel stupid and act as if they know everything, I just know it. I have a gut feeling about it. They're going to tell me it was all a figment of my over-active imagination, I have a feeling, but I know that they are real. It will be hard because no one is going to believe that a mere boy gets his life changed by a trinket found in Egypt, no one's going to believe in a soulroom or in going back to the past, and when you do you're a basketcase.

I breathe out slowly and realize that I had been holding my breath in some odd sort of way. My lungs are burning now and I realize that I need to catch my breath before I suffocate myself. I have a feeling now as I lean my head against this window that my face is bright red or maybe even blue like in those comics I used to read, and that Grandpa is staring at me with an odd look on his face. Perhaps a mixture of insane curiousity and a smidgen of worry? Okay, probably more than a smidgen. But no more than a teaspoon.

But thinking of Grandpa confuses me too. Grandpa died, I know he's dead, he had a heart-attack and it's as clear as day, too. It hurts to think that I have a problem with Grandpa being alive, but it just makes no sense. For a second the crazy part of me thinks that maybe he's being forced to stay on this earth, in his own sort of hell, but I realize a second later that not only is it crazy but it also makes very little sense. Okay, when I talk to the people who are going to ask me 'and how does that make you feel' (I should really ask them that), I am going to be labled as an instant basketcase.

I sigh again to myself and think that maybe all this sighing is worrying Grandpa, but I don't worry myself too much over the matter because I'm already thinking of how I have to/am going to explain that Mahaado, Ailil, Kaane, Maana, Yami, Spiria, Ishizu, _all_ of them are real. It's going to be hard and I think to myself that maybe, just maybe, if I'm lucky (and I think now that as I think this that it's the dark, malevolent part of me thinking this) I _will_ be crazy by the time this is all over and I won't know the difference.

The _must_ be real. They must be because I know them. Mahaado's deep, comforting voice, and how I somehow thought that his voice would be deeper from his depiction on the card as the Dark Magician. I can remember how we laughed about that and for a day he made his voice deeper, and the result. I was in giggles everytime he said something, and I felt a little bit bad that I made him feel as though he needed to change himself for me. Shortly after that event I had him well assured that there was no fear of any of that. No one had to change in my book.

And then there was Ailil, the goofball of the group. Always the one trying to crack jokes, that most of the time only made me burst into giggles because of the almost always, at least semi-comical expression he used. Always trying to lighten the mood. I smile to myself because I can think of what the _prankster_ he was, and one particular prank comes to mind. Ailil and I had once tried (and succeeded) to change Kaane's shampoo to a bright pink dye (with a bit of help from Mahaado of course). Kaane had been furious, I remember, but I eventually got him to calm down and to stop threatening to kill all of us. And we all knew he was joking, too.

And then there was Kaane. What a mystery he was, and then I correct myself, _is._ He's real and I know it, because I can see his calm in my mind, I can practically _feel_ his calm, reserved manner. He wasn't, _isn't_ much of a talker, usually deciding to keep his worries and thoughts to himself, but there are times that they leak through. Just barely perhaps, but a new light to his eyes will tell Ailil, Mahaado or me whether he is worried, upset, or angry. Though it seems that his anger is the most prominant thing that stands out in his emotions, it isn't. I can remember that Mahaado once told me that one thing, one emotion stood out more than his anger. His love for me.

I will not abandon them. Even if they aren't real.

-

Mahaado's POV

Little Master has not moved of course from his spot on the bed is the only thing I find when I come back after a long day standing next to my rivals. It is difficult not to hurt any of them, but especially Master, because everyday I feel that the urge to hurt him grows stronger and stronger and stronger but I know I must not but now my love for Little Master is overwhelming me into thinking that maybe if I kill Master then maybe, just maybe, it'll all be okay and that Little Master will heal. That was a rather long run on sentence.

My love got Little Master gives me many impulses, and I realize now that, full-fledge, the first impulse is to protect him by all means. And again, even though I already knew it, it seems almost like such a surprise. And I suppose it is a surprise. I'd never thought I'd kill for anybody other than Master, but now Little Master, in my mind, my heart and my soul has overpowered Master. He comes before Master, even if it means dying. I would die for Little Master more than I would die for anyone else in the world. No one else is worth it like he is.

Sometimes it feels as though the chains of Master's restraints are tied so tight that it isn't worth the fight - worth the time or strength. Sometimes, the chains come so tight that they choke off free will entirely, and I struggle against them tirelessly day and night because always, always do I feel Master in the back of my mind, holding me in place, ready to make me regret that last thing I did against him. But it was not my tireless struggle that freed me, no, and it most certainly wasn't Master who freed me, gosh no. It was him; it was Little Master. It _is_ Little Master who frees me. 

I sigh quietly and sit down on the bed, not on my agreed side, but on his side. I move m hand lightly over the silken sheets and remove him from under the light covers, taking him into my arms instead. He leans against my chest, and it is almost as though he is still there, still within his body and he is doing it of his free will, and I smile bitterly at the closed eyes. "Oh Little Master," I start out breathlessly. "What did you do to deserve this? Did I suddenly miss something big? No, Little Master... You don't deserve this sort of treatment.

"You don't deserve _any_ of this trouble. I do not see why the gods deal you such a bad hand. I could've done something --- _anything,_ but I just _couldn't._ Master made sure of that. Oh, Little Master..." I gently brush away a few excess strands of hair that have fallen into his pale face, and I hope hopelessly that his already almost deathly pale face does not grow even more pallid in time. I place my hand over his stomach and realize that he will be losing weight after a certain amount of time. But we don't have anything to feed him, and I can't risk something like that.

I curse quietly to myself and to the gods, but at the same time I pray to them. I need a miracle. _We_ need a miracle.

We need Little Master.


	6. WhL: Love Me

-

Watching his Life

Written by:

PetPetAngel

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, they are sole property to Kazuki Takahashi.

Warnings: Language, Violence, the usual happy stuff...

Chapter Summary: Love can be a little bit more that difficult to come to terms to...

Notes: Man, I love angsty/upset Mahaado too much. -o-;;

-

_"Nobody but me gonna love you,  
Like you ought to be loved on...  
Nobody but me gonna cry,  
If you up and leave...  
You can do what you want to,  
But I'm asking pretty please (honey),  
Don't go loving on nobody but me..."_

- "Nobody But Me" - Blake Shelton

-

Yuugi's POV

I sigh softly and lay my head against the car window, watching the buildings pass by as blurs, listening to the hustle and bustle of a Sunday morning, people trying to squeeze in the last plans for the weekend. Today is the first day I'm going to the therapist/phychiatrist, and boy am I not looking foreward to it. I've only been out of the hospital for a _day_ and yet I'm still going to this place. It's all for grandpa though, because I know he'd like to know what's wrong with me even though I _know_ there's nothing wrong with me, but that's just me. I know I didn't make them up.

As we arrive at the building that I think I may end up calling hell soon, we walk in and my grandpa takes my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. I suppose he thought that I was nervous, but that was a good guess because it was partially right. I had been in a state of panic for a while now, ever since I woke up really. I'm so used to Mahaado being there to help me through my day, or Ailil to brighten it, or Kaane to give me some good, down to earth, realistic, honest advice. But none of them were here today, and I doubt that they will be any time soon.

I give his hand a squeeze back and eventually let go of it, then walk in with him into the building. It's on the second floor, and when we get there, I just walk into the waiting room and sit down in an uncomfortable chair that _way_ too many other people have sat in. I sigh again as I see Grandpa walk towards me, and he sits next to me, giving my thigh a light tap before grabbing an outdated magazine. I follow suit soon after, quickly growing bored of the dull scene before me. You think that they could make this place more colorful. And these chairs more comfortable. Yeah, that too.

I sigh until I hear someone call my name, and I get up to look to the hallway. A relatively nice looking girl is there, smiling at me, a silent encouragement. It makes me feel mentally retarded, or mentally handicapped (wait... isn't that the same thing?), or something, because it's a smile that says, 'It's okay. Really, we don't bite. I promise.' Though I know that in the very back of my mind it definately _is_ reassuring, I just can't bring myself to accept that. The people here are here to tell me I'm crazy, or some other 'BS' story. Still, I walk over to her and feel my grandfather's eyes on my retreating form.

I walk in and she leads me into a room, until I finally realize, and very slowly of course, that she is my therapist. She smiles at me and I make myself as comfortable as can be on the couch without appearing rude, and her smile widens. I blush a little bit under the gaze, because even though it's not as intense as his, it reminds me of his all the same. The shade of the color is almost exactly alike, and it makes me uncomfortable. And I know because she has those eyes, we won't be getting very far. They'll never get me to say that he isn't real with eyes like those watching me.

She smiles and speaks first, asking very casually, "So, how have you been feeling since you woke up?" She is rather blunt with me, and I offer her small smile, because I appreciate that she isn't going to skirt around anything for me. But despite that fact that my liking to her has lifted a notch, I only shrug in response to her question. I'm sure my eyes have yet to move from hers. They are so similar, it's a wonder they weren't related somehow. Perhaps they were in some time, though I doubt it. Finally, she acknowledges my outright staring and asks, "Is there something wrong with my eyes?"

"No, no, no, no," I say quietly. "There's nothing wrong with your eyes. It's just that..." She urges me to continue with my eyes, and I do, for both our sakes, because I will not get this out in the open any other way. "They're like... _His_ eyes. They're like Mahaado's eyes. Almost the same shade, really. You just have more feminine eyes than he does, but ya know, that's probably a good thing. But they're very similar. We're not going to get very far with those eyes. His eyes." She sighs and smiles, and I know that she has been informed beforehand of the circumstances, but for a moment she rubs her temples and seems blantantly overwhelmed. I almost feel bad for her.

She jots a note or two down before coming to look at me again. For the first time, I notice that she is wearing glasses. I sigh gladly because Mahaado never wore glasses around me. I can't think of him being gone with it hurting inside. She speaks, even more quietly than before, "Can you explain a few things about Mahaado to me?" I sigh because I know where this is going, and I hate it, and for a moment I stay silent. But that silent urge to express my feelings for Mahaado come to me and it bubbles inside of me, until finally I sigh again and give it.

"Yes. Mahaado... Well, where to start with him? Oh gosh. Well, I guess I'll start about how he looks. He's really just the Dark Magician reincarnated, sorta. He's got purple/lilac sort of hair, with these deep, deep blue eyes. His eyes... Geez, his eyes. They're amazing. They're soul-piercing. I can't get over them. Then there's his general face shape. He's basically, well, ya know Seto Kaiba?" She shakes her head no and I stare at her for a moment, mouth agape. "O...Okay. Um, anyway. It's very chilselled. And he's pretty muscular, I mean... Not _over_muscular, but just enough to be perfect. He's sort of tan, not incredibly so... He's sort of just perfect, really.

"As for his personality... I mean, how can I explain this? He's just this sweet, caring, gentle, understanding person. Kind of mysterious, especially with those eyes of his. He's the kind of person that, almost immediately, you feel as if you can trust." I continued unsurely, "I mean, do you get what I mean?" I'm not sure she knows how to respond to that so I decide that I'll just spare her the awkward moment by going on. "It's weird though, you know? And I realize that everything that's happened here today is a little weird, to say the least, and I know that very well. That's probably why I'm here, ya know, at the therapists. Right? Right. I realize that, and I knew that since after I got out of the hospital. I wish I could remember more about what happened after the accident, or at least before it. But I know all these people that no one else knows and it makes me feel crazy. Do you think I'm crazy?" She sighs quietly to herself, then shuffles her notes of the day, then checks the clock.

I move around, suddenly uncomfortable on the once comfortable couch. After staring at the clock for a moment, she looks at me and smiles softly. "This is a very strange situation you've gotten yourself into, Yuugi Motou. You know that, right? It's not normal for someone to sudden come alive after so long, and it's a shock. And it's that way all the time, especially for the person who was in the coma. Over time, people tend to forget things. I suppose it could work that way whether or not you were in a coma, and I think you're the hamster to that theory. Do you remember anything, anything at _all_ from before the accident?"

I shake my head no, feeling just a little bit hopeless and helpless. She goes on, staring at me intently. "Witnesses say that you ran right out into the road with no regard to any of the other cars. That's why your grandfather decided not to go to court with the issue. It was too hard of a fight, not to mention that lawyer fees _and_ your hospital bills would have probably just put him in debt up to his eyeballs." I sigh and watch my feet as if they've become the most interesting thing in the world. For me they had, because that feeling of guilt is coursing through me. Maybe they should have just taken me off of life support, or whatever I was on. Maybe it would've been better, cheaper, that way.

"It wasn't your fault, Yuugi. People don't decide to go into comas. People just don't do that. They don't sit in their room, thinking, 'Ya know what? I think now might be a good time to do this. To make this choice. Just as my parents are getting rid of their debt, I'm going to go into a coma. I'm going to walk outside, get hit by a car, and make sure that my medical condition is exactly' this 'or' that. They just don't that Yuugi. People said that you looked very upset that day, is that true?" I furrow my brows and try to think. It may have been. How long since Yami's been not-Yami? About a year. I shake my head because that sounds about right.

"Okay," she says. "We're just going to do this by baby-steps Yuugi. If I bring up something you don't want to talk about, then we don't have to unless your grandfather _specifically_ tells me to. Nothing you say in this room, _nothing at all,_ ever has to leave this room. It is part of being a therapist of giving people their right to privacy and silence. The only time that I can't let what you say go completely is if you tell me that someone is hurting you or that you're hurting yourself. Are you doing anything like that, Yuugi? Was anyone hurting you before your accident?"

"I... I don't think so." It's the best I can do without choking. Maybe things like that never happened in this universe. If Mahaado, Ailil, and Kaane don't exist... Then who's to say that Yami does either? Maybe, hopefully he doesn't. I don't want him to lay another finger on me. I've been with Mahaado and the others too long to adjust to that treatment again. Because of them I know that it's bad when Yami does that. He should never ever again, and shouldn't have in the first place. But... Maybe it would be best that he was here. Maybe Yami is different in this world. Maybe he doesn't hurt me here. Maybe he's not a monster here.

"Were you in love with Mahaado, do you think?" I sigh quietly, somehow predicting that that question would come up. The way we talk about each other grants that right to people, and I blush. That probably means yes to her, for now she has a small smile on her face, albeit I _do_ notice that it is a rather sad one. She probably feels bad because she has to disprove Mahaado's existence to me. Perhaps I do love Mahaado, but he does not love me back. His love for me (if any at all) comes from me being his Master, he my servant, though I cannot even _begin_ to imagine him as my servant. I love Mahaado. But I can't think about it for long, because that dull ache in my heart comes back.

Yes. That dull ache. It had plagued me all night last night. I had always slept with the feeling of complete security when Mahaado was there. When Ailil and Kaane were there. Even if I was reunited with my supposedly deceased grandfather, it was not the same. My grandfather did not give me that sense of security. Not to mention that I was also sort of bothered by my grandfather being there in the first place. Perhaps it was just a trick, a cruel, cruel trick that fate (Marik in disguise?) wanted to pull on me? Perhaps. But... What if Marik was really back? I could not--- I ended that though, even though I knew it was true.

I could not do anything without Yami holding my hand.

I sigh quietly and see that perhaps this meeting with my therapist, no matter how nice, would be a very long one.

-

Mahaado's POV

I sigh quietly in bed, pushing my thin covers away and pulling my knees to my chest. Little Master was still beside me, unmoving. He had not moved all day and if it weren't for the fact that his chest rose and fell in his breathing pattern, I would've assumed that he was just passed on. He was also cold, which was rather alarming to say the last. I didn't like that he was like that, because I needed him. Between Ailil and myself has grown, not a tension, but a deep sort of depression. Ailil had not spoken al day, nor had he left his room.

I had gone to talk to him earlier, and for once (for despite his cheerful nature, the elf _could_ be rather secretive), he allowed me to come in and speak to him. And I did. We shared our fears, our hopes our worries. Though we knew it would be as such, somehow it was still some sort of a surprise when we found out that they were so close in nature. _'Will he be okay, Mahaado? Will be ever wake up? Will it ever be... okay, ever again? What if Little Master gets hurt?_ **_What if?_**" It was those terrible questions, _things_ that had plagued Little Master an brought him to tears. Apparently it was no different for an almighty elfen warrior.

Again I think back to all those moments that Little Master had surprised me, all those times when he proved so much stronger than he looked. When he made all those promises and sacrifices that I would make out of obligation, that he made out of the goodness of his heart. All those times when he stood up to those who were so much stronger to him, all those times that he proved me wrong as I watched him grow, stronger and stronger, and as my hatred grew when they betrayed him, his trust and loyalty to them. And how they started hurting him.

I just wish I could do something, anything to help. But before Master I fall helpless to my knees, and no matter how much I hate it, it is the honest to Ra truth and I must follow that promise from so long ago. Damn him and what he can do, all that power that he has. That tight hold he has on me only seems to grow tighter, stronger. I do not understand why I have not revolted against Master yet, for my obligation to Little Master was that I promised to protect him, just as I had promised Master. But that is not working out. As the days go on, my hatred for him grows.

One day, I will get my hands on him and kill him. _I will fucking kill him._ I will, because I must, for I swore that I would protect Little Master forever. As long as Master lives, he is a constant threat to Little Master. In fact, right now, he could be hurting him. And the thought makes me tremble with love and anger at the same time, not to mention with fury. With a bloody fury. I will get him somehow, because after all this... All this... _Shit_ that he has put Little Master through... I will never forgive him for hurting my Little Master.

I try to put my thoughts in order because I know if I do not, then I will act on them and regret it later on, no matter what sick satisfaction it will give me at the time. And I know as well that Little Master would never appreciate me being like this, being a monster even if it _is_ out of love. Because, no matter what emotion I did it out of, I would change and turn into that monster. I would turn in to Master, the kind of monster, and he might never trust me ever again. The thought hurts, but I know it is true and only strengthens my resolve that I must resist my urges.

I realize that the feelings for Little Master has changed. And as the last few days have passed, those feelings, whatever they might be, have grown stronger. They have become the focus of my attention, because I know that they will change what Little Master and I have. It will change it, I know, but I do not know how and that is yet another thing that scares me. I don't want what I have with Little Master to change, because not only may the change be bad for me, but it could also be bad for him, which is the more important part.

When I came into my room today I found things of Little Master's as well as my own. For me, there was the first outfit I had ever worn when coming to Little Master's home. I sleeveless turtleneck and a pair of jeans, and from Little Master there was an old shirt that he had always worn while he sat near the fire, basking in it's warmth, drinking hot chocolate. And so I went for a walk in my clothes, the ones Little Master gave me, and I hold his oversized sweater in my hand, letting it flood behind me in a cape-like fashion. I miss him terribly.

Each had brought back it's own memories, particularly my outfit. For when I had come I had come out of request from Master, but also from the fact that, in the back of my mind, towards the very edge of my conscious, something was poking me, telling me that Little Master was in trouble. Master explained to me (and I had no lost faith in him at this time, for he had yet to lose his humanity towards Little Master) that Little Master's grandfather had sent him out for groceries but the boy had not yet returned, and he was worried. Simple enough.

But as we went looking for him, things got more complicated. Finding him was seeming espeically impossible, also because Master could barely sense Little Master through their link (to this day I do not know whether it was his physical injuries or breaking bond with Master that effected this), and it was especially troubling him.I knew that, because of this, it was very likely that whatever condition we found Little Master in would be unfavorable. At the time I had little to judge of him, but I assumed if he had gotten through Master's heart that he had to be pretty good.

And when we found him, I found that I was enraged. I had never been so angry in my life; lives even. Somehow, seeing him like that, crumpled on the ground, curled into a ball, made me want to kill. It is sort of like the feeling I have towards Master sometimes, but at the same time it wasn't. At the time, it was foreign. I had never felt so strong an impulse even while defending Master, and I think that at the time it scared me. But I didn't have the time to think about that, for Master had gone and flung himself into a panic.

And as calmly as I could (for my rage was only growing as I came closer) towards Little Master, to whom Master was on his knees, shaking his shoulders. He was trying to get a response, but for several moments it seemed that he would be getting one, until finally he let out a soft whisper. His soft melodic voice only added more fuel to the fire of my rage; how could they hurt such an innocent boy. Master was shushing him softly and I kneeled down to his level. His head rested comfortably (or perheps for him uncomfortably) in Master's lap, while Master ran his fingers through Little Master's hair in a comforting gesture.

"Will... Will you open your eyes for me, please?" It was a simple request, but I suppose when you're in pain nothing is simple. His eyebrows furrowed and then finally, slowly, his eyes creaked open. I will never forget the moment that our eyes locked, for there was something of hope and love, shock, admiration perhaps in his eyes while his shock was also reflected in my eyes. In all my time of being alive, and meeting the many people I have, I had never seen such purity in _anyone's_ eyes, much less a teenager as Master said he was. And despite his pain, he smiled a small smile, just for me.

"Dark Magician?" I nodded minutely and shushed him with a simple motion, and I remember Master asking if Little Master could move. Just as Little Master had lifted himself off of the ground, he let out a sharp cry of alarm and his hands flew to his neck. His tears (which had left stains on his cheeks) returned full force and he clutched his neck. My eyes widened and I mouthed to Master to hand him to me. As he was placed gingerly in my lap, he whimpered softly and murmured my name again. This time, Master corrected him and said that he was to call me by my birth name, Mahaado.

He nodded stiffly, just barely, and I began healing him. As I healed him, finally noticing the extent of his injuries, my anger flared momentarily again. I still didn't understand how someone could hurt as pure as soul as Little Master's, but I did not question it until later. It seemed almost as if he had no life left in him, and I shuddered at the thought. The 'What ifs' passed through my head and I shuddered again. Once I was done, I cast a questioning look towards Master and he smiled and rose. I took that as my cue and rose with him.

I had no idea that Little Master would feel so good in my arms, leaning softly against me while I could see as well as feel the rise and fall of his chest. I had had no idea that that would be the first reason that I would fall for him (if that truly is what I have done). I had no idea that holding him would soon become something a kin to an addiction, a need, a want. And so I'd hold him at night (and still do) when he rests in his soul room. The only thing that bothered me when I held him (and it still bothers me when I hold him now) is how light he is. For his age, even if he is short, he should not weigh that little.

I sigh and bring myself back to the present, finding that I had brought Little Master's sweater towards me unconsciously. I truly do believe now that I have fallen in love with the innocent boy, and though it was not uncommon back in Egypt, I felt guilty of something. Guilty of loving him, for it would taint his purity. Though I know very well he is not a naive as everyone thinks he is, I cannot bring myself to accept that I might be hurting him by loving him. I don't want to hurt him, for it was vow to _protect _him, not hurt him. I sigh again.

That's not fair. If only I had done something more to help him when his father came, then maybe, maybe he wouldn't be hurting like this. Maybe he wouldn't be where he is, perhaps being tortured even. I don't want him to hurt, but it seems the closer he and I become (or perhaps the closer I come to him, for I cannot say that my feelings are reciprocated) the more danger I put him through and the more at risk he is. I don't want to do this to him. I sigh again and breath in Little Master's scent that has gone and clung to his sweatshirt. It relaxed me a little, but my thoughts were stilll unsettling.

As I walk, I find that I had walked to Ailil's room, and I knock on the door, already knowing that answer I am going to receive. I hear the softly yelled 'Go away!' and I mutter to the door. As if Ailil has heard me (and I do not doubt it that he probably has), he opens the door. He is disheveled and distraught, hair windswept and tear stains on his cheeks. I wince and look away, until finally he says, "You too?" I nod sadly and take a breath of air.

Ailil leads me to the balcony, dragging his feet.

And I know that for the rest of the night we will be occupied with thoughts of Little Master and his safety.


	7. WhL: Hopelessly Helpless

-

Watching his Life

Hopelessly Helpless

Written by:

PetPetAngel

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, for they are sole property of the should-be-proud creator Kazuki Takahashi.

Notes: MAN, with what I'm doing to these characters, Takahashi-sama would like, kill me for doing this to them... o.O I also have to say this is probably one of my darkest chapters so far. MAN, if ANYONE knew I was writing this while I'm only thirteen, I can see those people in the white jackets coming from the mental asylum already... XD

-

_"Me in the rain or the wind,  
Or the moon up in the sky...  
The spin of the earth or the change of the tide...  
I don't know what brought us together,  
What strange forces of nature,  
Conspired to construct the present,  
From the past..."_

"I'll Go on Loving You" - Alan Jackson

-

_Mahaado's POV_

_"No!" Little Master cries out sharply, backing away slowly from the advancing predator. I stare with a deep dread in my stomach, fearing the worst. I feel as if I cannot move, and I hate it. I watch unwillingly as I see Little Master take punch after punch, and I wince each time because it is like I am being hit, not him. I watch helplessly as he is slammed violently into the wall, head making a loud cracking sound as it is slammed against the bricks. I feel like I need to cry out, but I cannot find my voice, and I feel my eyes widen with shock as the predator only grows more violent._

_It's just like Master, only worse. Only this time, I feel as if it me, and an urge of protectiveness, probably the strongest so far, comes over me like a wave of drowning water, water which I will willingly drown in. Though the urge grows, stronger and stronger, I still find I cannot move, cannot speak, only watch in horror as Little Master is hurt. For this time, the predator is not Master, which means finally, finally I can at least get back at him for hurting my Little Master. But I cannot move, and again I wince as Little Master is hurt._

_A knife is brought out, and that is when the true dread arrives, the true horror strikes. Though the protective urge is still upon me and stronger than ever, and though I still feel the pain that he feels, I still cannot act upon my instinct. "No, no," is all I hear in my ears besides light whimpers, and I feel like shutting myself out from the world, "No, no, please no, please," Little Master continues. I want to cover my ears and shut my eyes tight, but I cannot, and I have a feeling that, even if I tried, somehow I would still see and I would still hear, "No, please, no!" Make it stop, this can't happen to him, I think. _

_I see a shirt flutter beside me, landing at my feet, and again that urge, among many others, return, but my sense of horror overcomes all as I watch helplessly. First, there is pain, then, it is mixed with pleasure. First they cut him, then lick him, as if he is some sort of fuck toy and I feel my anger, no, my rage, begin to boil over as I watch. While my rage is there, I still feel the sickening need to vomit, something to let go of that feeling in my stomach that will not quell. I bite my tongue helplessly until I feel the slight pain and the taste of blood in my mouth, then spit it out. _

_I hear a pants' zipper unzip, and this time, I feel myself move if only in the slightest as if I had taken a half step forward. Louder than before, I hear, "No! No, stop, STOP!" But nothing stops, not the sounds, not the noises, not the actions. It all goes on in a slow-motion sort of way, and I can't do anything but watch, watch, listen, hear... I can't listen, I can't see, make it stop... But of course, nothing does. It keeps going. Nothing stops, and I know for sure that it's all real when I hear that piercing scream that scars the earth, and the sobs that follow._

And now I can move, and I feel myself turning into the Dark Magician, ready to kill those who hurt him. They would pay, and I'll make sure that they do. I clench my staff to me and then quickly, one by one, I shoot them down, mind crush them, and send them to Shadow Realm. **No one** lives after hurting Little Master like that, no one. They will pay with their lives for what they have done. 

_And when it's all over, I walk over to him, and I kneel, but as soon as I make a move to touch his shoulder, he stares at me in anger, glaring angrily. "How could you just stand there and watch! You do you get some sort of enjoyment from me getting hurt? RAPED? Well, do you! You certainly could've done more than that, Mahaado. How could you just let that happen, to your Little Master? Hm? Bloody fucking hell, you should've done something!" I stare in horror, this isn't my Little Master... This is some cruel joke. This isn't real. _

_He smiles and crawls back from where he sits, grabs the knife that he had been assualted with. And plunges it into his heart. _

_I shoot up from my sleep and scream, scream louder, clutching my hair and pulling furiously at it, feeling tears stream down my cheeks, pulling my knees to my chest and then a second later flying out of whoever's bed I'm in for I know it is not mine. Or I'm hoping it isn't, because Little Master isn't there. I hear Ailil cry out behind me, obviously awoken by my yelling; hell, I'm sure I've just about woke up the whole palace. But I don't care, I run out of Ailil's room, slam the door behind me, bump into someone, apologize and keep running. _

_As I run, I feel my legs tiring because I don't know where I am and I'm just running in circles; maybe. But I push myself forward and eventually find that door, the one I **know** Little Master has to be behind. I open it and see his shadow, and I fly at him holding him closer to me and just relishing in the fact that he's okay, he's not dead, he's still alive I can keep holding him like this, he's not hurt, I can still bring him back, it's okay, it's really okay, it's over he's mine again... _

_But it's not okay. He's wet, and I open my eyes to look at him, and I feel my face losing it's color, I feel that dread in my stomach and I feel the contents of my stomach coming up my throat, but I push my urge to vomit back down and continue to stare into his eyes. They're crying blood, this isn't real this can't be real make it stop, please. "Hey, Mahaado," he speaks quietly. He leans into me again and I feel his cold hands, probably wet with blood, running up and down my neck, every once and a while pausing near my jugular vein, as if he's ready to slit my throat any second now._

_I push him away, knowing it's not him, but he merely flops back like a doll that a child hadn't liked. His bloody tears combine with human tears, and he lays on his side, breathing heavy. I feel guilt overwhelm me, even though I know it is not him it looks so much like him, he hasn't done anything wrong and I just pushed him away. On all fours, I crawl over to him and I see his teary eyes staring at me, and for the first time I see what his injuries are. A slit throat, what looks like someone shot him in the head, the plunge of a knife into his chest. _

_"What's the matter, Mahaado? Don't you still love me? Did getting hurt finally show you I wasn't worth it? Are you finally giving up on me, like you've been planning to do for so long? Hmmm?" He smiles bitterly, and the guilt in my heart triples, "I should've realized that this would happen, shouldn't have I? Probably. I mean, how can you love a little weak this like me?" I hold him to me and shush him, knowing somewhere in the back of my mind that I will regret this later, and I feel those cold hands on my neck again, and I shiver. _

_He smiles at me again and holds me close, and I see his eyes fading. Slowly, slowly, it is as if (and probably just **is**) that the life bleeds right out of him, but he refuses to let me go even though I'd rather not see again, no, not again. But he grins towards the end, when I can tell he's almost gone, fingers the bullet wound in his head. "Don't," I tell him quietly, "It'll make it worse." His grin widens and I know that this is the moment that I will begin regretting everything I've done so far. _

_"I know," he says, smiling at me. "I'm gonna be gone anyway, and it's all your fault." _

I jolt up again, this time I know it's real, but I'm still screaming, and only seconds later I feel the familiar roughness of Ailil's hands covering my mouth, muffling my alarmed cries as he pulls me to him. Though I realize it is okay after a moment, it seems like I can't stop screaming, and I still hear everything in my head (_---'And it's all your fault'---_) and Ailil looks at me curiously. I feel the tears running down my cheeks and I just shake a mournful head at him, and he nods, pulling me into a comforting embrace. I sigh helplessly and don't bother feeling any shame over my tears, for I know that Ailil understands them. I don't know what made me love him this way, this much, but I know Ailil understands my bond with Little Master.

"Shhh, Mahaado, shhh..." And it's only then that I realize I am not only crying, but I am sobbing rather loudly, and I choke back my sobs as well as I can. Ailil shakes his head sadly, "Just let it all out Mahaado, you have to. You're long overdue for it." And I take his advice as he says this, and I let myself go entirely and just cry, cry, until I feel that there is nothing left within me except my love for Little Master, my deep caring and my worry that I know only Ailil and Kaane share. And though it feels as if it has been hours, I know it has not when I hear a knock on the door.

I pull away from Ailil and he underestands that I'm going to go to Little Master to make sure he's okay, but the door opening cuts me off. I look down to hide my tearstained face, for they won't understand any of it. They won't understand my pain or my longing, and of all the urges in my dreams the strongest now is the one that tells me I need to hold Little Master; and now. There are only two of _them_ who have come; Master and Shimon. Both of which I share a silent hatred for, for both wish to throw Little Master out. They look at us curiously, calculating.

"Is something wrong, Mahaado?" I make a strange motion then, something between a wince and a twitch, and of course they notice. Master comes up to me and places a hand on my shoulder, and I look up to the heavens so I will not have to face his gaze. Cowardly, perhaps, but it is the best I can manage. I brush him off rather rudely and walk past Shimon who is left stuttering in his place, hearing Ailil defend my 'rude' behaviour, something like, 'Please excuse Mahaado. He isn't sleeping well lately.' I do not stay around to hear them ask any more questions, for I am already shooting down the hall and looking for the room.

I see it ahead and I speed up, then open it without bothering to close it. I see Little Master, and this time, he is truly okay. I reach for him needingly, practically falling to his side beside my bed, and first just holding his hand and then as the seconds pass I'm holding _all_ of him because I know that I need to. There is not wetness, this is no trick, and Little Master is finally okay, I know, and though I know he cannot hear me I whisper sweet nothings in his ear to comfort us both, until I eventually nod off back to sleep, tears of relief still clinging to my cheeks. He's alright.

-

Yuugi's POV

I sigh hopelessly and wave to Grandpa who is just driving off from dropping me off at school. While I can whole-heartedly remember that it is a lot better than walking to school, I still think that I'd almost rather walk to school with the awkward silences that my grandfather and I still experience. I know that he's curious about them, I know he still thinks of me when I was talkative and cheerful, and I know they worry him because I'm finally different, but I can't help but be uncomfortable about talking to someone who, in my mind, was always dead. But we went over that the other night, and it disconcerted him greatly, so I made a promise with myself not to bring it up again.

I look up at the big building in front of me, noticing that it hasn't really changed in the year I was out in a coma. I smile because, this time around, I know where everything is, including my locker, and I won't have to worry about getting lost. Domino High might just be easier the second time around. But as I hear a familiar voice, my smile is swiped off of my face. Anzu is running towards me, and in pure reflex, I start running away from her. Though my legs are shorter, I've had my practice of running and manage to run at least out of sight. For now.

When I reach my locker I pant as though I was just involved in a rather violent game of cat and mouse, breathing heavily. I drop my backpack and try to ignore the shocked whispers around me that combine to generally mean 'The Motou kid's back!'. I sigh again and take a quick glance at my schedule, grimacing at my first class. I sigh again, this time dismally instead of out of annoyance. Mathematics has never been my best subject, I think, but no matter how much I disliked it (not to mention also though it was dreadfully boring), I did do well it in. I sigh and clutch my books to me, grabbing backpack and slinging it on my shoulder, then running as fast as I can to get to class earlier.

The class seems to drone on and on, and I forget when the teacher had become so boring. But still, half-heartedly, I take down notes and try to understand what to do to get this answer or that. I have a very intense feeling in my stomach that I'm just going to be left catching up by myself, unfortunately. But in the middle of my note taking, I get a note passed to me and basically flicked into my face. Since I'm in the back of the class, I'm lucky because it's not too hard to read without getting noticed. I read the note and frown at it's contents. 'Are you really crazy like they say? Because of that... Mahad dude or something?'

I sigh and write back, successfully flicking the note. I intended it to be a simple answer, but it didn't end up as one. 'No, I am NOT crazy. I did NOT make Mahaado up, nor did I make Ailil or Kaane up. They're Duel Monsters. Haven't you heard of the game? It's a card game. But anyway, I am NOT crazy. Just because I got stuck in a coma does NOT mean a person is automatically crazy, ya know!' As the boy next to me (I have no idea what his name is) reads the note, he simply writes back, 'Duel Monsters? What's that?' I sigh and shake my head hopelessly. Getting the hint, both he and I turn back to our notes.

-

By lunch I feel as if I was in better care in my coma, where I wouldn't have to listen to 'Ya think the Motou-kid's really crazy?' all day long. I sigh softly and curse quietly when I realize that Grandpa forgot to pack me a lunch, and though I could eat the cafeteria food, the idea is very unappealing. But instead of really bothering to dwell over it I merely just walk into the hallways and decide to go for a walk, if just to get away from the whispers that seem to follow me. But walking doesn't do that, of course not. It seems rather that the longer I walk, the louder they get.

As I turn a corner, I feel a hand or two grab my arms roughly, a calloused hand covering my mouth, daring me to make a sound. I bit the hand that covers my mouth and thrash violent, eventually breaking free. I make a mad dash towards out of the school, to run somewhere, anywhere. But as soon as I step out of the school doors I realize that this is what they want me to do, but a moment too late as those hands grab me again. I feel warm breath in my ear and it makes me shudder, and I curse the gods because this just isn't fair.

"So, where's your little Mahaado friend now?" As my attacker talks, I feel some of his spit land in my face, and I make a move to wipe it away but I find that my hands are pinned down. I sigh hopelessly and can only hope that whatever follows these moments will end quickly, but I have little faith left. This is going to be a very bad day, I think to myself. As I think, I feel the first punch land in my stomach, normally a punch that would knock the wind out of me, but with the 'practice' I've received from Yami makes the punch much easier to take.

"Huh," the bully continues, and I refuse to meet his gaze but his hand forces me to look at him, "Well, where the hell is he! Hmm? Or are you really as crazy as everyone says? What about that the other dude, what's his name... Ailil, was it? Not comin' either, is he? I guess not, cause I wouldn't be able to push you into the wall like this---" and that's his cue to push me violently into the wall behind me, and I grunt in response, "---if he were really going to come and save you. Ha! You little fag, you probably made him up because you weren't gettin' laid enough."

I sigh and don't bother saying anything in my defense, knowing from experience that it doesn't help, but some advice that Kaane had once told me comes to mind. _"If you don't defend yourself, you're going to appear weak to everyone. With the way people think these days, that's like saying, 'Please, come and step all over my worthless existance, oh, and please, please, take your time.' Fuck them. People your age are asses. Your generation forgot to pick up any notes from the 'Respect' Department."_ I hid my smile at that, because Kaane's blatant bluntness always made me laugh. Harsh honesty. That's what he does best.

"You just be quiet," I say to my feet. But as I go on, I feel an odd boldness that I know could only come from Kaane build up inside me and I meet the boy's eyes. "I didn't go and make anyone up, ya hear? Just I because I know some awesome people and you're stuck surrounding yourself with losers who are dumber than you are, doesn't mean you have go and poke your misery at others! It's a waste of everyone's time, and if you had a brain, you would realize that's it's a waste of your time, too." And though I know that a flurry of punches will follow after my words, I feel better.

-

When I get home, I realize just how long of a day it truly was for me today. People still think I'm crazy, no doubt that kid will be spreading rumors, either. I sigh and walk into the gameshop, smile and grandpa who behind the counter helping a customer. He smiles back at me and makes a 'One moment' gesture, and I nod. As the customer smiles and discusses with my grandfather, I hear that she'll be back tomorrow and hope that it's not too late in the day when I know _I'll_ be the one talking with her. I sigh but smile as I hear the door bell jingle as the customer leaves.

Grandpa smiles at me and we chat for a moment, and I know that by this time tomorrow he won't be smiling anymore, because by then all the bruises will have already appeared all over.We talk casually for a while and he ends the conversation with the normal, troubled, 'You know you can talk to me about anything, right?' question. I smile at him and offer him a little hug, nodding my head yes even though in my mind I'm getting ready to cry any second now. As he releases me from the little hug I make sure to turn away quickly from him so that he doesn't see the way my eyes water.

I go upstairs and call behind me that I'll be doing my homework, and I can only hope that he doesn't notice how my voice starts cracking as I speak those few words. After I know he's at the counter I run to my room and drop my backpack in the hallway, feeling the tears come already. And I know I'll cry them all out into my pillow because no one else will be there to hold me and make it better, no one will give me those light kisses that only Mahaado does, no one will hold me like he does, dear god I need him...

Through my sadness though, I realize my thoughts but barely bother gasping. I had had a faint idea in the back of my mind that I just might love Mahaado like that, more than anyone else in the world maybe, but I had always denied it because I know he can't love someone weak like me, someone who'll fall apart if the wind blows to hard. No, I don't deserve him, not at all. Not after everything that's happened, after I been hurt like I have and have all the scars I do, who would want me? Not him, that's for sure. That I know, and it only makes me cry harder.

I think I fell asleep, because when I next woke up it was dark out. There was still a sick feeling in my stomach, and I groan because I realize I haven't done my homework yet. Still, I feel that even if I _had_ been up, I wouldn't have been able to get myself to do it anyway, and even now I still feel that way. I get out of my bed, still dressed, and stare out the window. It's dark, with only a few streetlights visible specking the dark streets. Still, I feel compelled to go out for a walk, and after a moment of debate, I go out and grab a light jacket on my way.

I go out and I feel oddly bitter cold bite against my skin, but I ignore and decide to walk to the park. I always used to do that before Mahaado, when everything was still falling apart and when it was never okay. I hear my footsteps as I walk and I think that they really do sound louder than before, but I suppose that's just because for once I can actually take the time to listen and also because there is no one else around to muffle their sound. As I walk, I feel my eyes watering and I burrow my face as well as I can into my jacket, the sting of my tears hurting in my heart.

As I walk, I begin to hear a soft meowing sound behind me, almost as if following me. I stop and listen, then jump as I hear something rubbing against my legs. I smile down at the cat and pick it up (even though I do know it could have rabies), and my grin only widened as I watched it stare at me curiously. But as I notice it's black color and it's blue eyes, I'm reminded of Kaane and again I feel tears come to my eyes. "Little kitty, why won't they stop following me?" I sigh, smile, and pet the cat softly. Though I had taken a liking to dogs because of Jounouchi, I still loved cats.

"What should I name you...? Man, you look so much like Kaane, it's unbelieveable. It's like you're him in an animal form. Man, it's almost creepy! Let's think." I laugh a little at how rediculous I must sound to him, to anyone who might be watching me. I grin, "Well, Kaane _can_ have a temper when he needs one... So how 'bout I name you... Ryuu? How does that sound? 'Dragon's temper? That sounds like Kaane to me alright." I giggle to myself and receive a lick in response to the name, and finally I just let out a loud laugh.

So I hold Ryuu in my arms and set off to home where I know tons of homework will await me.


End file.
